Eyewitness News at Six

Flooded roads and dangerous conditions in Waveland, Mississippi... as what is now Hurricane Isaac pushes inland today.

The National Weather Service told residents there to prepare for heavy rain of up to twelve inches, flooding, and conditions ripe for tornadoes.

Good evening and thanks for joining us... I'm Leah Johnson. We're following hurricane Isaac as it threatens the gulf coast... including Louisiana... where the city of New Orleans knows all too well...the damage that tropical weather can bring.

Let's check in with Frank Malloy for a run-down of the latest developments.

This a big storm that is impacting a lot of different regions..

We showed you a look at the gulf coast...now off to the Atlantic.

In Charleston, much of the area has been under a flood warning due to heavy rains.

Chief Meteorologist Ben Jones says it's actually an indirect product of Isaac's activity.

Cha8rleston's mayor has warned people...to stay out of downtown unless absolutely necessary...and tourists are being told to stay at their hotels.

As far west as Beaumont, Texas, evacuees are filling hotels.

Hotel managers report seeing cars with license plates from Louisiana, Mississippi, even Florida filling their parking lots as evacuees try to dodge the storm.

And in Pensacola, Florida. Coast Guard crews are searching for a man who went missing in the storm churned waters while jet skiing.

A spokesman says the missing man's wife called authorities around 8:30 last night...after he failed to come back.

The coast guard is urging everyone to follow precautions...and stay out of the water when warning flags are up. '

Finally to Louisiana...where locals know the force a hurricane can pack all too well.

Allison Chinchar from our sister station WXIA has a quick report.

As far as our area...we're out of the immediate impact zone...but we still have showers dumping rain across the region.

Let's send things over to Ben in the weather center for a look at our First Forecast.

Macon city council members will tour the 48th Infantry Brigade's training center tonight... To talk about the past and plans for the future.

Katelyn Heck joins us from their facility on Shurling Drive with what the brigade has in store.

Katelyn...

Thanks Leah, construction for the new 55-thousand square foot facility should start by the end of September and take almost two years to finish.

I'm joined by Macon Mayor Robert Reichert.

Mayor Reichert... Do you think this new facility will have a large impact on the city as well as central Georgia?

Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Smith with the Brigade says they invited city council for this tour because one of their goals is to reach out more to the community... How do you think a stronger relationship will benefit both the city and the brigade?

Lieutenant Colonel Smith says the project will cost almost 15 million dollars. He says the new facility will provide a larger space for combat training and will allow them to bring in more units at a time.

Members of Bibb County's Citizens' Committee on Animal Welfare and Site Selection narrowed the search for an Animal Shelter Director.

They've picked two from Thirty-Two Applicants.

You've asked us what we know about the final two candidates..... so our own Jennifer Moulliet did some research... and this is what she found out.

<

{***SOT FULL***}

<Members of the Citizens' Committee on Animal Welfare have selected Richard Rice... and Sarah Tenon as their two finalists for the Shelter's director.

Tenon currently works at Mobile County's Animal Shelter in Alabama. I spoke with her supervisor... Donna Jones... who said quote "She's made some really good changes for us and I would hate to lose her."

Jones says Tenon works well with rescue groups and fixed previous personell issues at the shelter in Mobile County.

Now the shelter in Alabama is fairly new... it was built in 2009 and is larger than Bibb Countys... holding around a hundred and fifty animals. They have three separate Kennel areas... one for adoptions... strays and legal holdings.

Tenon has only worked as Director of the Mobile County Shelter for a year but Jones says she has family in Georgia and understood why she might want to leave.

The other candidate on the finals list is former Exceutive Vice President of Atlanta's Humane Society... Richard Rice.

We Reported last week that Rice no longer works at the Humane Society... following an investigation into the organization for failing to report Parvo cases.

I reached out to William Shaheen... President of Atlanta's Humane Society... but he did not return my calls.

I asked Bibb County Commissioner Lonzy Edwards if he was concerned about the allegations surrounding Rice and he said Chairman Sam Hart will have the final say on who is selected as Director but they are conducting background checks on both candidates.

Jennifer Moulliet 13WMAZ eyewitness News>

13WMAZ reached out to William Shaheen... President of Atlanta's Humane Society... but he did not return our calls.

The citizens' committee on animal welfare cancelled their meeting yesterday because they didn't have anything to discuss.

That's according to Bibb County Commissioner, Lonzy Edwards.

By law they must allow fourteen days to pass before they choose a director.

Today....people in Wilkinson County are still talking about problems...that closed schools last Friday.

Yesterday...we told you how someone hacked teachers' accounts and posted their information online.

Judy Le has more on what investigators say happened.

<Sheriff Richard Chatman says investigators issued a search warrant and seized a laptop from a Wilkinson County middle school student. They're still investigating how someone hacked into school accounts.

Some parents have told us they heard about bomb threats to Wilkinson County Schools...even after Sheriff Richard Chatman and Superintendent Aaron Geter said there was no bomb on the school campus. The schools were dismissed early Friday...as a safety precaution.

But Chatman told us about an email directed to the Wilkinson County Middle School's principal...Angela Smith.

<It alluded to if certain african american students weren't removed from the school..this would happen and this would happen. We still felt confidant that these were outside of the parameters of anything that we would have to deal with on a local level>

The email came from overseas...the United Kingdom...last Friday. This person came across the website where the teachers' information were posted. The tipster wrote that there was a post stating that ...Quote...

***GRAPHIC***

" if the african american students aren't removed from the school in 48 hours....they will launch a full out attack by planting bombs in your schools."

Chatman says investigators read through the website several times but could not find and verify those posts.

Judy Le...13WMAZ...Eyewitness news>

 

Sheriff Chatman also said his office received three anonymous phone calls from parents...saying that someone called them and listed their child's personal information...including social security number and birth date. It's information parents provide when enrolling their child into school.

It's Great Hang Up day at 13WMAZ!

Some folks say if they use their phone or eat while driving, they prop their knee on the wheel and use their leg to steer their car.

Katelyn Heck spoke with a University of Georgia professor who showed her why she thinks that's an equation for disaster.

We've all been told to keep our eyes on the road... But it's also important to keep your hands on the wheel.

Kathy Simpson... A biomechanics professor at the University of Georgia says there are three big reasons why the steering wheel is designed for our hands.. And not our knees.

<because we have two hands on the wheel, we only need half as much force by each hand and we need twice as much here because we only have one knee, one source of force to make this steering wheel turn>

And because our fingers can actually grasp the wheel...that creates more friction... keeping the wheel from sliding out of our hands. Simpson says a driver will have to push up twice as hard on the wheel to have the same effect.

<a lot of times we might be wearing pants or a dress or something with slippery material so it's very hard to create enough force upwards, and if I don't, I have to really push a lot harder then>

That brings us to Simpson's third point...She says, even though the muscles in our legs are much stronger than those in our hands and wrists... Driving takes more precision than strength.

<we have a lot more sensation in our finger tips, we have the ability to make fine, precise movements because these muscles are smaller. And because your leg is so much more massive than your wrists and your arms, it takes a lot more effort to take this knee to be able to start pushing quickly enough too, it's going to take a while to get the knee to push against the steering wheel, and that may be too late>

Simpson says it all boils down to one simple equation... Driving... minus your hands on the wheel... equals a higher risk for a car accident.

<particularly as you add the distractions in there too>

Katelyn Heck 13WMAZ Eyewitness News

A recent national survey by the National Safety Council shows texting and driving causes almost 100-thousand car crashes a year.

you can Make the Great Hang Up pledge and keep your car a little safer by hanging up the phone while you drive.

Just look for the banner at the top of the homepage.

You'll find the link to sign the pledge on the right side of the page.

Once you sign...we want to hear from you.

Email the-great-hangup at 13wmaz dot com to let us know you're interested in sharing your story during our monthly Great Hang Up day on the last Tuesday of each month.

We have some breaking news to tell you about.

Houston County deputies...and Warner Robins police...are looking for an armed robbery suspect. in the Eagle's Landing neighborhood...off Carl Vinson Parkway...

We'll update this story when more details are availble...at 13wmaz-dot.com.