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Leah?
Thanks Tom.
Transportation officials say I-16 is safe now for drivers passing through Laurens County... but the accident did leave its mark.
Laurens County Sheriff Bill Harrell says a section will have to be replaced because it was incinerated.
Work will begin tomorrow... weather permitting.
He couldn't say how long that might take.
but one westbound lane will remain closed until then.
The Sandersville Police...and the GBI...are investigating a shooting that left a man dead late last night.
Washington County coroner E.K. Mays said 54-year-old Sammie Haynes was fatally shot in the neck around 11-30 on Floyd Street.
Haynes later died at a hospital.
Todd Lowery...the GBI's Special Agent-in-Charge in Eastman...says his agents are assisting Sandersville Police with the investigation.
The Jones county sheriff's office has closed its investigation into why a special needs child was left on a school bus for hours Tuesday morning.
Captain Earl Humphries says they didn't find any criminal intent on the part of the bus driver who left 10-year-old Aaron Cook on the bus for more than 6 hours. Aaron has severe autism and doesn't speak. Humphries called it an unfortunate incident but he's thankful Aaron is now safe. Aaron's parents would not comment, but directed us to their attorneys. We have not heard back form the attorneys or the school district.
Grounded aircraft... furloughs... And cancelled government contracts.
Those are just a few affects the undersecretary of the Air Force outlined today... on the impact of sequestration.
That's the the automatic spending cut scheduled to kick-in March 1st.
It would slash 1.2 trillion dollars from the federal budget.... 500 billion dollars of it from the military.
Undersecretary Jamie Morin called the looming cut a "blunt and unmanageable reduction".
He said the Air Force will have to reduce its maintenance work load by a third.
Vice Chief of staff of the Air Force General Larry Spencer said that means cutting maintenance work for 150 aircraft and 80 engines.
That would have a major impact on Robins... Grounding aircraft and stopping work for thousands of civilians.
Prior to today.. the Air Force announced that the sequester would trigger up to 22 days of furloughs for civilian workers.
The reduction they talked about today... could cause additional furlough days for the roughly 9-thousand Robins employees in depot maintenance.
Here's how General Spencer described the outlook for Air Force depots.
<"A combination of the furloughs, a combination of not having airplanes come in, now you got a a depot full of airplanes you can't move. Airplanes and engines stacked up, and oh by the way, as we wind down in Afghanistan, you got equipment coming back that needs to go in the depot, that's a pretty tough situation.">
They say defense contractors will be "squeezed first and the tightest"... with the air force taking 10-percent off the top of all contracts.
Morin and Spencer said that will hit small businesses hardest... the folks who contract for such things such as repairing the runways... Cleaning the buildings or providing IT services
Joining me now for perspective on this is CEO of the 21st Century Partnership and former Robins Air Force Base Commander... General Robert McMahon.
Frank, Leah?
< I've come to understand that... All that stuff that I was taught about Evolution, embryology, the big bang theory...all that is lies straight from the pit of hell...>
That's Congressman Paul Broun, back in October... Speaking at a church event about his belief in creationism over evolution...
Broun has always been outspoken about his Christian beliefs... saying they influence everything he does.
And now he's taking his bid to be a conservative leader to the race for the U.S. Senate Seat held by Saxby Chambliss.
By profession, Broun is a medical doctor.
This month... Chambliss announced that he would not seek re-election in 2014.
Political bloggers and pundits have also floated Congressman Tom Price...former Georgia Secretary of State and candidate for governor Karen Handle...as possible candidates.
Also today... Macon city councilman Larry Schlesinger announced he's running for commissioner under the new consolidated government.
<Larry S.: These are significant times for macon and bibb county and they are really monumental times for us all. Whether you voted for consolidation or not, the vote in favor of consolidating our city and county governments has already started us all on a path that will unite us. But it's also going to test us in ways that simply have no precedence. ">
Voters will decide the new consolidated government later this year.
All week... We've been highlighting information... To keep you and your family safe when severe weather threatens.
And as Ben's been telling us... Before weather strikes... Is the time to educate yourself...
Thanks, Ben.