Eyewitness News at 11, 12-18-12

One of those sites is Wheeler County.

13WMAZ's Austin Lewis visited there earlier today, where she found split trees...branches...and debris at Prescott White farms, near the town of Alamo.

Peggy Underwood is thankful she wasn't home when the storms hit.

<<Peggy Underwood, Wheeler County: We had received a phone call telling us that there had been some wind damage and the house was okay, but we still could not imagine how bad it was until we drove up and saw.

All the debris and all the trees down. >>

The national weather service has now confirmed...that storm was in fact a tornado....along with two more.

Chief meteorologist Ben Jones has been sorting through the information investigators

Newtown, Connecticut buried two more of its children Tuesday.

The victims of last Friday's mass shooting at an elementary school are being remembered one by one as their community tries to heal.

Ines Ferres is in Newtown with more on how those left behind are coping.

Among those being remembered with services tomorrow - first grade teacher Victoria Soto, who died trying to protect her students from the gunman. It's not uncommon for those who want to help...to travel to places where natural disaster or tragedy strikes...but what is unusual, is the way one Central Georgia man plans to get to his destination.

Doug Smith says he wanted to do show his support for families in Newtown... And let them know their grief is felt beyond state lines.

Smith is raising money and taking his Harley north to connecticut to deliver the funds in person.

The father of three says he can't imagine what the parents of the children lost at Sandy Hook Elementary school must be feeling.

<it's got to be the most difficult thing in the world those people that can get up and bury their children and keep on the best that they can with their day those are the heroes, I'm nothing.>

Smith says he's raised about a thousand dollars so far...but says making the trip to show support is more important to him.

To help the Sandy Hook victims...and their families by donating to a fund set up at Newtown Savings Bank at 39 Main Street... In Newtown.

You can also donate online...just check out this story on our website at 13wmaz-dot-com.

An independent panel says... Management failures at the state Department led to inadequate security...before the September 11th attacks in Libya.

Those attacks killed a U.S. Ambassador and three other Americans...and is the subject of hearings on Capitol Hill this week.

Despite those failures, the Accountability Review Board determined that no individual American officials ignored their responsibilities or violated their duties...and found no cause for any disciplinary action.

The state department sent a classified version of the report to lawmakers today. It makes 29 recommendatioons to improve embassy security.

Secretary of State Clinton says she accepted them all.

Tonight... Macon city council approved a 230-thousand dollar payment to the consolidation task force.

Mayor Robert Reichert already advanced 20-thousand to the transition team in October without council's approval.

Members decided to count that toward their original 250-thousand dollar bill.

That money will go toward consulting services hired by the transition team.

Some of those firms have already started their work.... Which under state law... means the city and county cannot pay for them.

Council member Rick Hutto says the task force will use a 50-thousand dollar donation from the Peyton Anderson Foundation to cover those costs.

The city and county will split the remainder... Which still totals near half a million dollars.

<my question is... How much more are they going to need and what kind of controls are we going to place on them? Do they have unlimited spending? It's obvious that they do, and I think we should have voted that down and we should have made them present itemized information, detailed information as to how this money is to be spent>

The consolidation transition team will finalize their budget during tomorrow's meeting.

Their current proposal sits at just over 530-thousand dollars.... But Council member Tom Ellington... A member of the task force... Says they are still looking into grants and donations to cover some of that.

Mayor Reichert also says he's drawing up a 40 year lease agreement with the Macon-Bibb Transit Authority for the management of Terminal Station.

City council voted down his last attempt to transfer.... But Reichert says ownership will allow the authority to apply for additional transportation grants.

If council approves the lease proposal... The transit authority would be in charge of managing and marketing Terminal Station.

All revenue brought in would go toward more transportation services.

Some council members say they're still against the idea... Because of Terminal Station's historic value to the city.

<either way we're getting rid of a piece of property that is valued at millions of dollars and the taxpayers are still losing on this, and I haven't found the real reason for wanting to hurry up and get through with this thing yet, but it just doesn't make any sense>

Reichert says council could vote to change the lease term... But to get federal grants... the transit authority has to have the option to buy Terminal Station at the end of that time period.

The public properties committee will discuss the agreement during their next meeting.

Kids have only a few more days in school before the holiday break, but students at Brookdale elementary are staying focused until the last school bell rings for dismissal.

That's with the help of a new after school program sponsored by Scana energy company.

Candace Adorka joined students and teachers as they celebrated the program this evening...with a little break from their studies.

Sometimes homework can be as difficult to understand...

...as a mike fuller magic trick.

Luckily these Brookdale elementary students can get help from the homework center.

<stuff I have trouble with they can help me with it and mostly i'm having trouble with math.>

<just incase I turn it in and I get it wrong, I can get help from the teachers at the homework center.>

The after school program just launched at Brookdale... students and teachers helped celebrate with magic.

Helen Stembridge, regional manager for scana energy says the company shells out 13 to 18 thousand for these programs-- Community service is one of their corporate goals.

<IT gives us a good opportunity to help impact our youths of today and our adults of tomorrow>

The money pays for afternoon snacks, incentives for the students, and the extra pay for certified teachers like Christina Chapman.

She says that's a relief for parents.

<they'll come and tell us all the time I can't remember how to do this or how do I teach my child the simplest way. So I think it's a huge benefit that they have certified teachers helping with the homework the way they're teaching it in class.>

Brookdale had a grant-funded homework program until last spring.

Chapman says it's a blessing Scana stepped in to fill the void.

<to think that we werent' gonna have one, it was real scary so we're thankful to them and we're gonna seize the opportunity and just try to do the best we can to provide as many opportunities as we can to help out students succeed>

So while the magic tricks remain a mystery...

<when he popped open the rabbit>

<I thought it was gonna be a fake rabbit but it was a real rabbit>

the hope is math will be a little clearer.

Candace Adorka 13 WMAZ eyewitness news.

This is the 14th year for the Scana energy homework center in Bibb County. They serve one school per school year and rotate every three to 5 years among the schools.

Diverting a question with a joke ... former C-I-A Director Leon Panetta didn't offer much insight into another former C-I-A director's abrupt departure from the post.

David Petraeus resigned amid revelations that he'd had an extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell.

At a National Press Club event in Washington today Panetta was asked about the scandal, which was uncovered because of a string of e-mails.

(question) "As the former head of the CIA, please explain why General Petraeus was forced to resign rather than a lesser punishment."

"You gotta be kidding me. (laughs) You gotta be kidding me. Umm, you know, in this town, with that kind of email, do you think he could have survived as director of the CIA? I don't think so." >

Meanwhile, Paula Broadwell's lawyers announced today that she will not face federal charges for cyberstalking another female friend of Petraeus.

After a stomach flu that led to a fainting spell...and a concussion... The Secretary of State is on the mend.

A spokesperson for Hillary Clinton says she's working from home this week.

That's at her doctors recommendation.

Her recent bout with illness will also keep her from testifying at the upcoming Congressional hearings on Benghazi.

Instead...she'll send some of her highest ranking deputies to Capitol Hill Thursday.

Meanwhile, her husband..former President Bill Clinton will be the subject of a new documentary for H-B-O.

And the cable network signed a deal with iconic director and producer Martin Scorsese.

Joining Scorsese as co-producer of the film is Steve Bing, a major benefactor of Democratic causes and a personal friend of Clinton's.

In a statement, H-B-O said the documentary is being made with Clinton's full cooperation.

It's said to explore the perspectives of the country's 42nd President on history, politics, culture and the world.

No air date has been announced.