Eyewitness News at 11, 9-25-12

Katelyn Heck highlights some of the changes they want to make.

Designers turned months of public input into drawings depicting their ideas for Second Street in Macon.

A lot of the design focuses on adding more green space... Including transforming the Riverside Drive ramp into a park.

<part of the proposed plan includes turning this intersection of Pine and Second Streets into one of the focal points of the city. They plan to turn the two closed down car dealerships, the auto supply store, and Wilson's electric supply store into what they call Midcity Park.>

They plan to fill the space with trees and surround it with large buildings.

<a good concept to have in the middle of the city, with Second street being the focal point, that will stand out very much.>

It's an area some say will appeal to all generations of Maconites.

<we love downtown and we want to bring it back. We want to have a thriving downtown with good transportation, a safe area>

Part of the transportation plan calls for street cars that will run from the Coliseum Medical Center west toward Mercer University and Tatnall Square Park.

But some say they're concerned about the areas outside of the Second Street corridor, like east Macon.

<it stops right here at Emory Highway and Second Street and that's great if we're going to bring all of this new traffic downtown onto Second Street, but it's going to bring it across the bridge and empty it into east Macon. The very next light is the most heavily trafficed intersection in all of Bibb County and that's Gray Highway and Shurling Drive.>

Developers say they're still working out the details for that area and for the Hump Bridge on the west side of the project.

Katelyn Heck 13WMAZ Eyewitness News

C-H-A and Huntley Partners will submit their final plan for Second Street in March.

A superior court judge will enter a treatment program after he was suspected of drinking and driving and then was allowed to drive himself home.

Officers say they stopped Judge Howard Simms at a routine road check...and smelled alcohol on his breath.

The field sobriety check tested him at point 08... which according to state law usually means a D-U-I.

But the deputies let him go.

Two years ago...a Macon Police officer drove him to his son's little league baseball game... after smelling alcohol on his breath then.

Bibb Sheriff Jerry Modena says his internal affairs unit is investigating the latest incident... to follow up on his deputy's judgment call and make sure all the proper procedures were followed.

<sheriff Modena: It showed positive but at the same time it wasn't high enough to go ahead and just take him downtown.

Randall: What was it?

Sheriff: .08, it's alright .08

Randall: .08, what's legal?

Sheriff: Sir

Randall: Where is the illegal mark?

Sheriff: That's what we're investigating that's why we're not saying any more than that now we're looking at that same thing, we got the man in the field now.

>

Sheriff Modena stopped short of saying Simms was driving under the influence...but says an internal investigation should be completed by next week...and he'll follow up.

Simms issued a news release saying that he's entering in-patient alcohol treatment and apologizing for any hurt caused to family and friends..

Turning to education news tonight...there's a new grading system for some students in Monroe County schools that has some people scratching their heads.

So we went to Forsyth to find out what's new and why they decided to change their grading scale

Students in kindergarten through third grade will now be graded on a one through five scale.... Instead of by letters.

The new system allows teachers to access students by each state standard to assign those grades.

<we are slowly moving into that standards space so that you don't get a grade, you don't just get say a three on a certain standard and never go back to it you might end up at the end of that year in that standard with a five but the teacher will continue to work the parent will continue to work on that standard so that child can become as proficient with that standard as they can and be well prepared for the next grade level.>

To find out more on Monroe County's grading system visit our website 13WMAZ dot com and look for this story.

We've also uploaded an old version of a report card and a new one... So you can see the difference.

Meanwhile, the National Science Board says the numbers aren't adding up in favor of Georgia's major public research universities.

In a report, the group says research schools

have lost 37 percent of per-student state funding between 2002 and 2010.

That ranked as the 5th largest drop nationally,

though it still left Georgia as 22nd in per-student spending for the 2009-2010 school year.

The report published Tuesday looked at several financial measures at 101 major public research universities.... and the peach state seems to fall in line with a national trend.

Across America, the report shows declining state support, rising enrollment and tuition hikes that outpace inflation, with public universities spending less on research.

Today...a contract dispute...between the N-F-L...and the N-F-L referees has left fans...and even some high-level politicians in a bit of an uproar.

Courtney Lyle's in the newsroom with more on the controversial call that added to the replacement officials debate.

Frank there's been a lot of talk and harsh words towards the replacement officials who have stepped in during the lockout.. but last nights' Packers-Seahawks game... Only added to dispute..

Final play of the game Seattle needed a touchdown to win.. Russell Wilson throws up a hail mary... But both M-D Jennings and Golden Tate come down with the ball.

The officials ruled it a touchdown and after the booth took at look.. The call stood and the Seahawks won the game.

But the question is being raised... How was this not an interception as on the replay it looks like Jennings gets to the ball in the air.

Players, coaches and fans haven spoken out but now.. as Bigad Shaban explains... even the President and Mitt Romney, and his running mate, Paul Ryan are talking.

< The NFL says a highly controversial ruling in Monday night's Seahawks/Packers game will stand.

Replacement referees made the call in the last seconds of the football game...

((NARR-3)) (gfx)

On Tuesday, the league admitted a penalty should have been called on a Seattle player for pushing, but said "the result of the game is final."

((sot)) PACKERS HEAD COACH MIKE MCCARTHY

"It's a different year, there's no question about it. And that's part of our challenge."

((NARR-4))

REGULAR REFS HAVE BEEN LOCKED OUT SINCE JUNE IN A LABOR DISPUTE WITH THE LEAGUE.

BUT MANY OF THE REPLACEMENT OFFICIALS HAVE LITTLE OR NO EXPERIENCE IN THE NFL.

(PIC)

THE ONE WHO MADE MONDAY NIGHT'S CALL HAD ONLY REFFED HIGH SCHOOL AND JUNIOR COLLEGE GAMES.

((SOT)) Chuck Heberling/Retired NFL Referee

"it takes a guy two full years to get acclimated to the speed of that game."

((NARR-5))

CHUCK HEBERLING IS A RETIRED NFL REFEREE.

((SOT)) Chuck Heberling/Retired NFL Referee

"The two of them should have conversed with each other before they made any signals."

((NARR-6))

THE CONTROVERSIAL CALL EVEN GOT THE ATTENTION OF THE REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC TICKETS FOR THE WHITE HOUSE.

((SOT)) President Obama (subtitled)

"Terrible. I've been saying for a month, we've gotta get our refs back."

((SOT)) Rep. Paul Ryan/(R) Vice-Presidential Candidate

"It is time to get the real refs."

((NARR-7))

THIS LATEST PRESSURE HAS BROUGHT THE LEAGUE AND THE UNION BACK TO THE BARGAINING TABLE.

BUT SO FAR -- NO DEAL.>

The League did release a statement about the call today... They said the officials were correct in not over-turning the ruling on the field.. But did admit that offensive pass interference should have been called on Golden Tate and that would have ended the game.

Frank?

Thank you, Courtney.

In a statement today, Packers coach Mike McCarthy says his team is disappointed, but they're already looking ahead to their next game - against New Orleans.

So tonight...tell us what you think by text.

Text A if you side with the N-F-L... B if you think the refs are on the right side...C...if you just don't think it matters one way or the other.

Send those answers to 2-5-5-4-3.

We'll check on the results tonight after the rest of your sports.

Brad Spiegel...computer consultant with Quality Computer Systems is in for this Week's Geek13...and we're talking about a glitch that could affect your iPhone...and the Apple mapping application.

Brad...there's a problem...that drops some addresses...locations...even major landmarks in the wrong places. How did this happen?

Here's an example... This is what you get when you look for the Washington Monument.

Apple Maps drops it between two streets...when really, it's north of Independence avenue...in the circular area of this green space.

With that massive a landmark...obviously not a problem...but what about with day to day directions?

Is there any indication how widespread the problem is?

Does it affect I-Pads too?

What's Apple doing for a fix?

Now let's take a look at that map again...

to report a problem...you'd click on the blue arrow to the right of the location... And you'd get a location screen with an option to report a problem automatically.

Will this hurt the company's credibility?

Thanks, Brad Spiegel with Quality Computer Systems. Ben?

We couldn't say goodbye tonight without congratulating Heather Wright Ethridge.

She's is our Facebook Fan of the Day.

Thanks for liking us on Facebook, Heather.

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