Tonight...on Eyewitness News at Six...13WMAZ ...offering Help for the Holidays.
The pros from Consumer Credit Counseling are manning the phone banks right now
to help you with planning household finances.
Good evening, everyone.
I'm Frank Malloy.
Leah Johnson has the night off.
We'll spend some time talking with one of the counselors in just a few minutes...but right now, they're available for your questions.
Again... You can reach them at 752-1300.
Whether your trying to plan a budget for your family... Saving for a future expense like college for the kids...or wondering how to begin chipping away at some debt... They have the resources to help start you on the right path.
Take advantage of the expertise we're offering at the number on your screen.
Only two local taxi companies have business licenses... One to operate in the city of Macon... And the other in Bibb County.
City administrators say they're on the lookout for others roaming the streets.
Katelyn Heck explains what to look out for before you hop in a cab.
All taxi cabs in Macon and Bibb County must have one of these to operate... A business license.
<what we've found though is that we have several independent operators, and so we need to ensure that they have the proper licenses and that they're performing the services in accordance with the standards>
Those standards include running meters... Safe, properly-working cars...and a state tag like this one.
Yellow Cab is the only company with a Macon business license... And Radio Cab is the only one in Bibb County.
<it may come to we ask our law enforcement agencies to do periodic stops of these taxi cab and shuttle service vehicles to ensure they have a proper license.>
Macon law allows the city to give unregistered cabs a 250 dollar minimum fine ... but Lieutenant Wilton Collins with the Macon Police Department says finding violations is the challenge.
<There are a few things both the city and the county require to be on the outside of a licensed cab. That includes the cab companies name, phone number, and a listing of their meter rates. You should also be able to see their business permit sticker and their inspection sticker.>
Collins says if you see a suspicious cab... Report any information you have to the police.
<what they can do is if he has his license or certificate posted in the front of the car, they can gather as much information as they can from the driver, the tag number, the taxi cab number itself, where they were picked up, what time they were picked up. At least give us something to go on that we can follow up on.>
Moffett says the city may reinstate their taxi cab advisory board... Which would monitor cab companies and handle complaints.
Katelyn Heck 13 WMAZ Eyewitness News
The Mayor... City council members... And a local cab company owner... Would make up part of the seven-person advisory board.
Retired Macon city council members...will not be seeing a pension check anytime soon.
A proposed ordinance...to give those with 10 years of service or more...25 dollars a month for each year served...has been shelved for now.
Henry Ficklin and Lonnie Miley took their proposal off the table.
Ficklin says the proposal stirred too much controversy from day one.
Morning rush hour at Bibb County's busiest intersection...started with flames shooting up from a gas station.
This is iPhone video from early this morning.
This was taken as a truck burned.. at the seven and seven on the corner of Gray Highway and Shurling Drive.
13WMAZ caught emergency crews rolling in very quickly.
When they got there they found a Macon Water Authority truck and gas pump in flames.
Witnesses say a different truck lost control and crashed into a gas pump and the M-W-A vehicle...causing the explosion.
The driver of the M-W-A truck was inside the station ... And there were no injuries.
The gas station attendant acted quickly.
As soon as he heard the explosion he shut down those gas pumps.
The retail part of the business is open this afternoon.
Investigators aren't sure yet...if charges will be filed.
A Grinch stole Christmas ... from a man in Warner Robins.
Judy Le talks to the homeowner ...About the thief who thought it was better to receive...than to give.
Reichman says he filed a police report and hopes the thief comes forward.
This hasn't dampened his Christmas spirit...he says that next year he'll bring back the decorations.
A Grinch stole Christmas ... from a man in Warner Robins.
Judy Le talks to the homeowner ...About the thief who thought it was better to receive...than to give. \
{***nat***}
What neighbors are used to seeing is well, a Christmas explosion on Larry Reichman's front yard.
There used to be a rockin' santa...a chillin' santa...and even a playful santa...
But this year...it's all gone...
<Somebody decided they needed my Christmas decorations in my yard more than I did and they stole a bunch of them. So I have taken my Christmas down in my yard>
Reichman decided to take most of the décor down...except for the santa taking refuge on the roof.
In its place...he's put up one new ornament...a spray painted sign that reads -- thank a thief.
<It made me upset. It's like taking flowers off of someone's funeral plot>
He's not the only one enraged...neighbors have stopped by wondering what happened...and if the grinch will strike again...
<It's disgusting to think that somebody would actually steal Christmas decorations, but my son son was helping me yesterday and he said that he had something stolen from his yard.>
Turning his yard into a winter wonderland has been a 14-year tradition for Reichman
He estimates the thieves took a thousand dollars worth of decorations
Judy Le 13wmaz eyewitness news
Reichman says he filed a police report and hopes the thief comes forward.
This hasn't dampened his Christmas spirit...he says that next year he'll bring back the decorations.
Offering Help for the Holidays today.. In the area of your personal finances.
Hello, everyone.
Welcome back...
The holidays can be stressful enough...but when finances are tight...lots of families find themselves with added worries putting a damper on their spirit.
Today...we have some folks from Consumer Credit Counseling with us...taking your calls and answering your money questions.
I'm with Ed Williams ...
They'll be here answering phones until the end of our broadcast...and you can reach them at the number on this screen.
Kids Yule Love... a local non-profit with the goal of making sure every child in Central Georgia has a present under the Christmas tree... held its annual holiday program at Tattnall Square Academy today.
{***JOHN***}
The event, in its 25th year, was full of lots of singing... dancing and even a Santa... all in an effort to gather gifts for local children in need.
Austin Lewis brings you this story that comes... straight from the heart.
<Barney Hester, tattnall Academy: it's easy to receive and it's real to easy to accept gifts but to learn to give and what that means is very important. >
This overflowing Christmas tree shows students at Tattnall Square Academy learned that lesson this holiday season.
At the 25th annual Kids Yule Love Christmas program...There was plenty of entertainment for all....with students breaking into dance...as the audience got into the Christmas spirit.
Kids Yule Love founder...Joe Allen...thanked the students for all of their help...to bring presents to children in need.
<Commissioner Joe Allen, Kids Yule Love: And I always look to Tattnall to help, help us out a great deal. This is their program as much as it is anybody's that helps with Kids Yule Love or helps with any program, cause it's all about the children and the love of God >
And with each student...bringing an unwrapped gift...about 12-hundred presents lay under this Christmas tree.
<Barney Hester, tattnall Academy:Our kids put a lot of effort in buying these gifts and uh it's not a just go to the store and grab or send parents, our older kids actually go and put thought into it. They know that the gift that they are giving may be the only gift that a child receives on Christmas morning.>
But the donation from tattnall students just isn't enough. Allen says they still need more presents to provide Christmas joy to those in need
<allen: we're still going to be behind, so don't think that we're still not going to be hurting those are real children and without your help we can't, we can't get where no child will wake up christmas morning without something.
If you go to the Kids Yule Love website...you'll see a list of locations throughout Central...where you can drop off an unwrapped gift.
But at Tattnall Square...Santa will make sure the presents donated by students...will get to children in need.
Austin Lewis 13wmaz eyewitness news.
Students not only donated gifts...but raised about 12-hundred and 50-dollars for Kids Yule Love.
For more information on how you can help, look for this story on our website.
Help for the Holidays continues tomorrow...as we bring you resources for your job search.
It's a project we're bringing you all week long...giving you a chance to call in and talk to professionals in different fields.
Tomorrow... Representatives from the department of labor are in...to give you the pointers and advice you're looking for ...As you contemplate your next career move.
That's on Eyewitness News at 5 and 6.
Today is a big day...because it marks the last consecutive date of the century...December 12th, 2012 is also a big day for several Central Georgia kids...because they turned 12 years old on 12-12-12..their so called "golden day"
Mossy Creek Middle School in Warner Robins had three sixth graders who celebrated birthdays today..
Anna Burke, Hannah Singletary and Brett Stanback were the center of attention today..
<Brett Stanback: we went up on the stage and got sang happy birthday by the whole sixth grade because our birthday is 12-12-12
Anna Burke: it's my birthday and it's brett and Hannah's and it's a golden year..12-12-12
Hannah Singletary: I didn't know about it at first and told some of my friends and they were like oh my birthday is same day so it was kind of interesting.>