HELLO, EVERYONE, AND THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR THIS ELECTION NIGHT EDITION OF EYEWITNESS NEWS AT SIX....
I'M FRANK MALLOY.

AND I'M LEAH JOHNSON.
WE ARE AN HOUR AWAY... FROM THE CLOSING OF THE POLLS.
THE AFTER-WORK CROWD IS NOW TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THAT FINAL HOUR TO CAST THEIR VOTES IN A NUMBER OF RACES... FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL

LET'S HIT SOME OF THE MAJOR ONES.

WHETHER MACON AND BIBB COUNTY CONSOLIDATES WILL BE DECIDED TONIGHT.

THE ONE CENT REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX ... OR T-SPLOST, IS ON THE TABLE FOR THE MIDDLE GEORGIA, CENTRAL SAVANNAH, HEART OF GEORGIA, AND RIVER VALLEY REGIONS. THAT'S A STATEWIDE BALLOT ITEM TO FUND ROADS, HIGHWAY, AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS.

WE'RE FOLLOWING FOUR STATE SENATE RACES ACROSS CENTRAL GEORGIA... DISTRICTS FIFTEEN, EIGHTEEN, TWENTY-FIVE, AND TWENTY-SIX.

HOUSE RACES IN DISTRICT ONE THIRTY-NINE, ONE FORTY-TWO, AND ONE-FORTY NINE...

WE'LL ALSO BE REPORTING ON SHERIFF'S RACES FOR A NUMBER OF COUNTIES... INCLUDING BIBB, JOHNSON, AND TREUTLEN... AND A NUMBER OF LOCAL COMMISSION, BOARD OF EDUCATION, AND COUNCIL POSTS ACROSS CENTRAL GEORGIA.
WE'VE BEEN WATCHING THE POLLS THIS AFTERNOON AS THE MINUTES WIND DOWN.

CANDACE ADORKA IS OUTSIDE NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL ON RIVER ROAD... FOR AN UPDATE ON LATE TURNOUT TODAY.
CANDACE?

James Baker/Macon

 

THANK YOU CANDACE. WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU THROUGHOUT OUR SPECIAL COVERAGE LATER TONIGHT.
ON THE BALLOT WE HAVE LOCAL.. STATE.. AND NATIONAL RACES.
HERE TO TALK A LITTLE MORE IN DEPTH ABOUT THE CONGRESSIONAL RACES FOR SEATS THAT REPRESENT CENTRAL GEORGIA...
AND WHAT KIND OF NATIONAL TRENDS THEY REPRESENT AS WE MOVE TOWARDS THE GENERAL ELECTION IN NOVEMBER...

POLITICAL SCIENTIST CLIF WILKINSON WITH 13WMAZ'S RANDALL SAVAGE.
NEW DETAILS HAVE EMERGED ABOUT LAST WEEK'S CRAWFORD COUNTY SHOOTING THAT LEFT TWO PEOPLE DEAD.

INVESTIGATORS NOW CONFIRM THAT IT WAS A MURDER SUICIDE.

IT HAPPENED WHEN A YOUNG MOTHER CAME TO PICK UP A CHILD FROM HER ESTRANGED HUSBANDS HOUSE ON PINE FOREST DRIVE IN MUSELLA.

A SHERIFF'S OFFICE NEWS RELEASE SAYS AUTOPSY RESULTS SHOWED THAT 32-YEAR-OLD CLINTON DICKEY DIED FROM A SINGLE GUNSHOT WOUND WHILE HIS 23-YEAR-OLD WIFE SHANNON DICKEY DIED FROM MULTIPLE GUNSHOT WOUNDS.
SHERIFF LEWIS WALKER SAID THE COUPLE GOT INTO A FIGHT AT THE HOME..
TESTIMONY BEGAN THIS MORNING IN THE MURDER TRIAL OF A LIZELLA MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING A MACON STORE CLERK
29-YEAR-OLD MAURICE BATTLE IS ACCUSED OF KILLING DIPAK "DANNY" PATEL.
IT HAPPENED AT THE RIVERSIDE DRIVE CHEVRON GAS STATON NEAR COLLEGE STREET.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY GREG WINTERS SAYS BATTLE FACES SEVERAL CHARGES... INCLUDING MALICE MURDER AND FELONY MURDER.
TWO OTHER MEN... KOREY STEPHENS AND RICHARD HARRIS HAVE ALREADY PLEADED GUILTY TO MURDER CHARGES IN THE CASE... AND SENTENCED TO PRISON.
WINTERS SAYS THEY MAY TESTIFY DURING BATTLE'S TRIAL.
ITS GREAT HANG UP DAY AT WMAZ... AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT SAYS THEY'RE WORRIED ABOUT MORE THAN JUST CELL PHONES DISTRACTING DRIVERS.
KATELYN HECK EXPLAINS HOW A NAVIGATION DEVICE CAN STEER YOU WRONG WHEN IT COMES TO KEEPING YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD.
<<
(NATS: "turn left")
THIS G-P-S CAN PREPARE YOU FOR TURNS AND INTERSECTIONS... BUT WHAT IT CANT DO IS SHOW YOU THIS...
(NATS: cars driving by)
CAPTAIN CHARLIE GUNNELS WITH THE BIBB COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE SAYS PEOPLE SPEND TOO MUCH TIME LOOKING AT THE ROAD ON THE SCREEN (NATS) INSTEAD OF THE ONE IN FRONT OF THEM.
(SOT:drive before you navigate, just please, start driving before you navigate, if you'er going to have to program it, pull over and program it)
EARLIER THIS MONTH A G-P-S LEAD A MAN FROM BYRON (NATS) DOWN WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A LIFE-CHANGING PATH.
(SOT:the guy looked down to check his gps unit and when he looked up he had driven off the right hand side of the road, but he picked an awful spot to drive off the right hand side of the road because he ended up in the railroad tracks 50 feet down)
HE WALKED AWAY FROM THE SCENE ON BASS ROAD... BUT GUNNELS SAYS AN ACCIDENT LIKE THAT (NATS) DOESNT ALWAYS HAVE A HAPPY ENDING.
(SOT:he was fumbling with the gps and it could have been a tragic, tragic accident, this one was very close to loss of life here)
GUNNELS SAYS ENTERING AN ADDRESS INTO A G-P-S IS JUST AS DANGEROUS AS MANY OTHER TYPES OF DISTRACTIONS.
(SOT:its like a cell phone, its like texting, its like eating, it's like a burning cigarett dropped in the lap, any kind of distraction, it causes accidents)
(STAND-UP: Gunnels says.. if you use a gps, even a navigation system on your phone... mount it to your car... somewhere just out of your line of vision... so you don't have to look down to see it... he also says... crank up the volume and listen to the directions instead of relying on looking at the screen)
GUNNELS SAYS YOU'LL NEED MORE THAN JUST GOOD DIRECTIONS TO GET TO YOUR DESTINATION SAFELY... YOU'LL ALSO NEED YOUR FOCUS... AND YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD.

KATELYN HECK
13WMAZ EYEWITNESS NEWS
>>
ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION... USING A HANDHELD DEVICE... WHETHER IT'S A PHONE OR A G-PS.... MAKES YOU FOUR TIMES AS LIKELY TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT.

YOU CAN JOIN THE GREAT HANG UP AND PLEDGE TO GIVE UP THE PHONE WHILE YOU'RE DRIVING.
JUST VISIT 13WMAZ DOT COM... AND LOOK FOR THE PLEDGE UNDER THE "FEATURES" TAB ON THE HOMEPAGE.
YOU'LL FIND THE LINK TO SIGN THE PLEDGE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PAGE.

AFTER YOU SIGN THE PLEDGE... WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR STORIES TO SHARE DURING OUR GREAT HANG UP DAY ON THE LAST TUESDAY OF EACH MONTH.
JUST SEND AN EMAIL TO THE-GREAT-HANG-UP AT 13WMAZ DOT COM TO LET US KNOW YOU'RE INTERESTED.
ABOUT FORTY MINUTES LEFT TO VOTE...AND WE'RE WATCHING THE POLLING PLACE AT NORTHEAST HIGH SCHOOL ON UPPER RIVER ROAD.
A NUMBER OF RACES TO BE DECIDED... INCLUDING MACON-BIBB CONSOLIDATION AND THE TRANSPORTATION SPLOST...

EARLIER... THE FORECAST LOOKED LIKE IT MIGHT DAMPEN ELECTION DAY.... BUT THE WEATHER RISKS HAVE TAPERED OFF THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON... AND WE'VE ENDED UP WITH A FAIRLY PEACEFUL PRIMARY.
LET'S SEND IT OVER TO JOHN BOYER TO SEE WHAT THE REST OF THE NIGHT HOLDS.
USUALLY WHEN WE THINK BANANAS, WE THINK OF A TROPICAL CLIMATE.

BUT YOU WON'T HAVE DRIVE TO FLORIDA TO GO BANANAS ANYMORE.
TOM GEORGE WENT TO WARNER ROBINS TO SEE HOW ONE LOCAL MAN MANAGED TO GROW THE CROP RIGHT IN HIS OWN BACKYARD.
ACCORDING TO THE HEAD OF THE U-G-A BANANA PROJECT, THE AVERAGE AMERICAN EATS MORE THAN 33 POUNDS OF BANANAS EVERY YEAR, AND THAT SOME VARIETIES ARE BEGINNING TO "LOOK PROMISING" TO GROW IN GEORGIA.

NAT POP
IT'S DOUBLE THE SIZE OF ANY ONE I'VE EVER SEEN

GEORGIA MAY BE THE PEACH STATE... BUT IN WILLIAM BIRDSELL'S GARDEN, ANYTHING GOES.

SOT - WILLIAM BIRDSELL / WARNER ROBINS
< I GOT A RED PLUM, A GRANNY SMITH APPLE, AND THIS IS GEORGIA GOLDEN DELICIOUS >

SO WHEN THEY SAID IT WAS TOO COLD FOR BANANAS, HE DIDNT BUY IT.

SOT - WILLIAM
< THEY TOLD ME I COULDNT GROW BANANAS IN GEORGIA, AND I DIDNT BELIEVE THEM, SO I DECIDED TO TRY IT. >

A RETIRED TREE INSPECTOR FROM FLORIDA...HE JUMPED AT THE CHANCE TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT WHEN HIS NEIGHBOR OFFERED HIM A 5 FOOT BANANA PLANT .

SOT - WILLIAM
< BEEN EVERYWHERE FROM JACKSONVILLE TO KEY WEST, AND I'VE NEVER SEEN A TREE THIS TALL. I GAVE IT A SPECIAL FERTILIZER AND IT KEPT GROWING >

AS THE TREE GOT BIGGER, IT GRABBED THE ATTENTION OF BILL'S NEIGHBORS.

SOT - JOHN MCNAMARA / NEIGHBOR
< DOOO DOOO DOOO, LIKE A BEANSTALK, ALL OF A SUDDEN IT OPENS UP LIKE AN EGGPLANT OPENS UP AND THERE'S THESE BANANAS AND YOU JUST WATCH THEM GROW. >

THE PLANT GREW LIKE A BEAN STALK ALL RIGHT... REACHING A HEIGHT OF MORE THAN 25 FEET. IN FACT... BILL HAS TO CLIMB ON A LADDER JUST TO PICK HIS CROP.

WITH RESEARCHERS AT UGA ENCOURAGING PEOPLE BANANA GROWING IN THE STATE, BIRDSELL'S TREND IS CATCHING ON.

SOT - JOHN
< OH YEAH, I GOT A COUPLE OF SPROUTS CAME OFF ON THAT IM GONNA PLANT AT MY HOUSE, SEE IF I CAN GET THEM THAT HIGH. >

AND AS FOR THE 42 BANANAS SPROUTING ON HIS PLANT? THE BANANA MAN HAS SOME BIG PLANS....

SOT - WILLIAM
< I GOT TWIN GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTERS AND I TOLD THEM WE'D HAVE A BANANA PARTY HAHA SO THEY'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT>

A BANANA PARTY... FIT FOR THE PEACH STATE.

IN WARNER ROBINS, TOM GEORGE, 13WMAZ EYEWITNESS NEWS.
ACCORDING TO THE HEAD OF THE U-G-A BANANA PROJECT, THE AVERAGE AMERICAN EATS MORE THAN 33 POUNDS OF BANANAS EVERY YEAR, AND THAT SOME VARIETIES ARE BEGINNING TO "LOOK PROMISING" TO GROW IN GEORGIA.
STAY WITH 13 WMAZ FOR CONTINUING COVERAGE OF TODAY'S PRIMARY...

YOU CAN FOLLOW US ON TWITTER...AND LIKE US ON FACEBOOK...
YOU CAN ALSO GET UP TO THE MINUTE RESULTS ON THE WEB AT 13 WMAZ DOT COM...
AND ONCE THE POLLS CLOSE...WE'LL HAVE LIVE UPDATES RIGHT HERE ON THE AIR..

THANKS FOR JOINING US.... WE'LL BE BACK TONIGHT AT 11.

BUT REMEMBER...THE NEWS IS ALWAYS ON AT 13WMAZ.COM !

THE CBS EVENING NEWS WITH SCOTT PELLEY IS NEXT.

HAVE A SAFE NIGHT EVERYONE.