38 days ago
HELLO EVERYONE AND THANKS FOR JOINING US.
I'M LORRA LYNCH-JONES.
AND I'M LEAH JOHNSON.
FRANK MALLOY IS ON ASSIGNMENT.
HOUSTON COUNTY'S DISTRICT ATTORNEY SAYS HE'S INVESTIGATING A POSSIBLE *TREASURE HUNT* AT THE OFFICE OF THE LATE MAYOR OF WARNER ROBINS.
NOW.... TWO CITY EMPLOYEES ARE ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE.
D-A KELLY BURKE SAYS MAYOR JOHN HAVRILLA REQUESTED HIS HELP AFTER THE TWO TRIED TO ENTER DONALD WALKER'S LOCKED OFFICE THROUGH THE CEILING TILES.
<<(3:43) "The two city hall employees placed on administrative leave are city clerk Stan Martin and Chris Armstrong, an employee in the IT department at city hall. District attorney Kelly Burke is investigating at the request for Mayor John Havrilla.'
Lorra Lynch-Jones, EWN: "This stems from an incident last Wednesday night when Burke says the two employees allegedly tried to get into former Mayor Donald Walker's office through the ceiling tiles.
Major John Havrilla became concerned because he didn't know why these two individuals would try to get into that office. Burke says it was possibly because of personal money that Walker used to store in the ceiling tiles above his office."
Kelly Burke: (8:26) "Mayor Walker was known throughout the years, if somebody needed $200, $300, he would loan them that, without a signature loan or anything. It was just you could go see Donald and during desperate times, he would grant you a little bit of money. It was always out of his own pocket."
BURKE SAYS ... ARMSTRONG EXPLAINED THAT IF THEY FOUND ANYTHING IN THE CEILING... THEY WOULD HAVE GIVEN IT TO WALKER'S FAMILY.
Lorra Lynch-Jones, EWN: (5:53) "Burke stressed that this investigation has nothing to do with any wrong doing on the part of former Mayor Donald Walker. He said he did take Walker's computer from that office, but has not turned it on and mainly took the computer to 'protect the integrity of it' during this investigation.
Kelly Burke: (2:56) "Were talking about people who appeared to try to go over a wall, through the ceiling and over a wall to get into the office, is what it appeared to be. That woud give concern to anybody, trying to enter an office in that manner."
BURKE SAY HE'S STILL INTERVIEWING WITNESSES AT CITY HALL... AND WILL TALK WITH MARTIN TUESDAY.
HE PLANS TO CLOSE THE INVESTIGATION BY THE END OF THE WEEK.>>
BURKE SAYS MARTIN AND ARMSTRONG WERE PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE TO KEEP THEM FROM GOING BACK INTO WALKER'S OFFICE DURING THE INVESTIGATION.
REACHED BY PHONE... CITY CLERK STAN MARTIN SAID HE DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG."
MAYOR JOHN HAVRILLA WOULD NOT COMMENT.
FIVE PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN LESS THAN 48 HOURS ON CENTRAL GEORGIA ROADS.
IN LAURENS COUNTY...11-YEAR OLD CHEYENNE KITTRELL OF ROCKLEDGE DIED IN A FIERY CRASH ON INTERSTATE 16 WEST.
KITTRELL'S GRANDFATHER WAS EXITING THE INTERSTATE WHEN HIS VAN STRUCK A CURB ... CROSSED HIGHWAY 441... HIT A TREE... AND CAUGHT ON FIRE.
AND IN HOUSTON COUNTY... 26 YEAR OLD KENNETH DANIELS OF WARNER ROBINS DIED IN A CRASH EARLY THIS MORNING AT HOUSTON LAKE AND DUNBAR ROADS.
DANIELS WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON HOUSTON LAKE ROAD WHEN HE LOST CONTROL AND STRUCK A TELEPHONE POLE .
IN PEACH COUNTY...19 YEAR OLD KAYLA BROWN OF HARRIS COUNTY WAS HIT BY A TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCK ON HIGHWAY 96 LAST NIGHT. SHE APPARENTLY DROVE THROUGH A STOP SIGN.
TWO PEOPLE ALSO DIED SATURDAY IN BIBB COUNTY.
BOTH WERE PEDESTRIANS STRUCK BY CARS ACCORDING TO CORONER LEON JONES.
THREE OF THESE CRASHES HAVE AT LEAST ONE THING IN COMMON...THE DRIVERS WERE ON RURAL COUNTY ROADS.
VANESSA RUFFES SHOWS YOU WHY LAW ENFORCEMENT SAYS TO TAKE EXTRA CARE WHEN DRIVING ON A COUNTY ROAD.
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NATS...
A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT ON ANY ROAD CAN BE DEADLY... BUT LAW ENFORCEMENT AND TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS SAY ON RURAL BACK ROADS AND HIGHWAYS...DRIVE WITH CAUTION.
Captain Harry Colbert, Bibb County Sheriff's Office
"From time to time the fog lines, or the outside lines, and the center lines become faded out. And at night when it's not well lit, or it may be foggy night, it's hard to see the edges of the road and the center of the road."
ACCORDING TO THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE OF HIGHWAY SAFETY...RURAL COUNTY ROADS HAVE LOW CRASH RATES COMPARED TO INTERSTATES AND CITY ROADS.
...BUT IT SAYS YOU'RE MORE LIKELY TO DIE IN A CRASH ON A RURAL ROAD THAN ANY OTHER TYPE.
(GRAPHIC)
IT REPORTS THAT GEORGIA HAD JUST OVER FIVE HUNDRED DEATHS ON COUNTY ROADS IN 2006...COMPARED TO JUST OVER FOUR-HUNDRED ON INTERSTATES AND CITY STREETS COMBINED.
(GRAPHIC2)
IT SAYS 18-PERCENT OF GEORGIANS LIVE IN RURAL COUNTIES...
...BUT 32-PERCENT OF TRAFFIC DEATHS HAPPEN IN THOSE COUNTIES.
CAPTAIN HARRY COLBERT WITH BIBB COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE GIVES ONE POSSIBLE REASON.
Captain Harry Colbert, Bibb County Sheriff's Office
"A lot of our rural accidents are actually overturned vehicles where somebody could be thrown out. A lot of times the shoulders of our rural roads are a lot steeper than a state highway, so the chances of being seriously hurt or killed are greater."
COLBERT SAYS COUNTY ROADS CAN BE A PROBLEM BOTH FOR THOSE WHO DRIVE THEM EVERY DAY AND THOSE WHO DON'T.
Captain Harry Colbert, Bibb County Sheriff's Office
"People who are not familiar with those roads a stop sign may sneak up on them. And then we have people who drive these roads all the time that get a little complacent with the stop sign. They just roll up to it, think they've got a clear passage and do on through it."
COLBERT SAYS OBEYING ALL POSTED SIGNS...AND DRIVING WITHIN YOUR LIMITS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE...WHATEVER ROAD YOU'RE TRAVELING.
VANESSA RUFFES 13WMAZ EYEWITNESS NEWS.
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THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE OF HIGHWAY SAFETY SAYS FROM 2000 TO 2006...THE NUMBER OF DEATHS ON GEORGIA COUNTY ROADS INCREASED BY SIXTEEN PERCENT.
IT SAYS NO OTHER TYPE OF ROAD HAS SEEN AS BIG AN INCREASE.
IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS...YOU SHOULD SEE MORE POLICE OFFICERS ON THE STREETS IN MACON.
TODAY... CITY COUNCIL'S PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE BACKED A RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT A ONE-POINT-SEVEN MILLION DOLLAR GRANT FROM THE U-S DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
IT WOULD PAY SALARIES AND BENEFITS FOR FOURTEEN NEW ENTRY LEVEL PATROL OFFICERS.CHIEF MIKE BURNS SAYS THE DEPARTMENT IS AUTHORIZED FOR 305 OFFICERS BUT BUDGETED FOR ABOUT 285 BECAUSE THAT'S THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF OFFICERS ON THE ROSTER AT ANY TIME.
HE SAYS THEY WILL NOW HAVE FUNDING FOR 299.
Chief Mike Burns: "you can never have too many officers on the street..this just gets us...it allows us to get closer to what we're authorized at 305."
BURNS SAYS IT WILL TAKE TWO TO FOUR MONTHS TO HIRE THE OFFICERS..THEN ABOUT EIGHT TO NINE MONTHS OF TRAINING.THE GRANT WILL PAY SALARIES AND BENEFITS FOR THREE YEARS...THE CITY MUST RETAIN THE OFFICER FOR ONE YEAR AFTER THAT.
THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE ALSO APPROVED A NEW LEASE AGREEMENT TO MOVE THE MACON POLICE AREA TWO OFFICE TO THE SHOPPES AT INTERNATIONAL PLACE ON THE CORNER OF PIO NONO AND EISENHOWER PARKWAY.
AREA TWO INCLUDES THE YOUTH AND INTERVENTION DEPARTMENT...THEY CITY WILL LEASE THE SPACE FOR TEN DOLLARS A YEAR.
BOTH RESOLUTIONS WILL GO TO FULL COUNCIL FOR A VOTE NEXT WEEK.
THE CITY OF MONTEZUMA RECEIVED SPECIAL RECOGNITION FROM THE WHITE HOUSE.
A NEWS RELEASE FROM THE CITY SAYS FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA DESIGNATED MONTEZUMA AS ONE OF THE NEWEST PRESERVE AMERICA COMMUNITIES.
THE AWARD HONORS THE MONTEZUMA DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY'S EFFORTS TO REVITALIZE AND STIR UP ECONOMIC GROWTH.
THE RELEASE SAYS TO DATE... 795 COMMUNITIES HAVE RECIEVED THE PRESERVE AMERICA AWARD.
THE MACON WATER AUTHORITY SAYS IT EXPECTS TO FINISH REPAIRS BY THE END OF THE MONTH ON A BROKEN SEWER LINE AT CENTRAL CITY PARK.
LAUREN DISPIRITO HAS MORE ON WHAT'S BEING DONE TO GET THE NEW LINE IN PLACE.
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Darryl Macy: "Yeah I know its an eye sore right now, but if we didn't do this, it'd be, or could be a major catastrophie over here."
MOST WOULD AGREE...ITS NOT A PRETTY SIGHT...BLACK PIPES CARRYING SEWAGE ACROSS GREEN FIELDS AND PAST PLAYGROUNDS IN CENTRAL CITY PARK. BUT THE MACON WATER AUTHORITY'S DARRYL MACY SAYS THEY HOPE IT WON'T LAST MUCH LONGER.
Darryl Macy: "Its really good news for the park and the people of Macon that we're trying to get this done as fast as possible."
LD on cam: "These pipes, full of sewage, have been lying in the park since September 25th, now the Macon Water Authority says its making progress, and the repairs should be finished by the end of the month."
Darryl Macy: "By the end of October it will be finished, we're hoping by the end of October, hopefully sooner than that.....they're working everyday even through the rain they're going to keep working on this and try and get it all taken care of."
ON SEPTEMBER 23RD, THE WATER AUTHORITY SAID.... HEAVY RAINS AND FLOODING CAUSED A BREAK IN THE SEWER MAIN UNDER THE LEVEE BETWEEN THE PARK AND THE OCMULGEE RIVER.
ON SEPTEMBER 25TH, THEY BROUGHT IN PIPES FOR A TEMPORARY BYPASS OF THE BREAK.
THAT BYPASS WAS UP AND RUNNING OCTOBER FIRST...AND THAT STOPPED SEWAGE SPILLS THAT SENT MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF SEWAGE INTO THE RIVER.
CREWS DRILLED A HOLE UNDER THE LEVEE FOR A NEW MAIN THERE....AND ARE CLEANING AND FIXING THE OLD 700 FOOT PIPE UNDER THE PARK.
Darryl Macy: "This will all be good for another 50-60 years, won't have to worry about it anymore."
MACY SAYS CONTRACTORS ARE WORKING 24 HOURS A DAY....UNTIL THEY CAN CONNECT THE NEW MAIN UNDER THE LEVEE TO THE SEWER LINE UNDER THE PARK.
STD OUT
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THE WATER AUTHORITY SAYS WHEN IT CONNECTS THE NEW LINE.... IT'LL HAVE TO SHUT DOWN A PUMP FOR ABOUT EIGHT HOURS...POSSIBLY FORCING MORE SEWAGE TO SPILL INTO THE OCMULGEE RIVER.
THEY ARE NOT SURE WHEN THAT WILL HAPPEN... BUT SAY THEY WILL MAKE THE CONNECTION LATE AT NIGHT TO MINIMIZE THE SPILLS.
THE WATER AUTHORITY SAYS REPAIRS ARE COSTING BETWEEN A MILLION AND ONE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS.
STEADY RAIN SOAKED MUCH OF CENTRAL GEORGIA AND OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH.
THIS IS VIDEO OF RAIN FALLING AROUND METRO ATLANTA.
JUST LAST MONTH.... FLOODS DAMAGED HOMES AROUND THE CITY.
NOW...PEOPLE ARE BRACING THEMSELVES FOR ANOTHER WET WEEK.
TONIGHT AT 11...
J. Harvey Chase, Gray:
"You never know...who you're gonna contact on the other end."
A 94-YEAR-OLD PEARL HARBOR VETERAN SAYS HE'S STILL USING HIS HAM RADIO TO CONNECT WITH FRIENDS AROUND THE WORLD.
HE'S DONE IT FOR THE LAST 78 YEARS.
TONIGHT AT 11...JENNIFER BELLAMY WILL SHOW YOU WHY HE'S STILL HITTING THE AIR WAVES.
WE HAVE A PROGRAMMING NOTE TO TELL YOU ABOUT.
BECAUSE OF THIS AFTERNOON'S SEVERE WEATHER COVERAGE... THE LAST 17 MINUTES OF "AS THE WORLD TURNS" WILL BE SHOWN TONIGHT AT 2-10 A-M.
AGAIN... SET YOUR D-V-R'S
...THE LAST 17 MINUTES OF AS THE WORLD TURNS WILL RUN TONIGHT AT 2-10 A-M.
WHEN YOU'RE OUT ENJOYING THE GEORGIA NATIONAL FAIR... TAKE A FEW PICTURES AND ADD THEM TO THE GALLERIES ON 13-W-M-A-Z DOT COM.
THIS IS SHAWN AND HIS SON HUNTER RIDING THE POWER SURGE.
THE CAPTION FOR THIS PICTURE SAYS DAKOTA YOUNG IS TRYING HARD TO MAKE IT TO THE TOP.
SHARE YOUR PICTURES.
ADD THEM TO THE GALLERIES ON 13-W-M-A-Z DOT COM.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.... WE'LL BE BACK TONIGHT AT 11.
BUT REMEMBER...THE NEWS IS ALWAYS ON AT 13WMAZ.COM !
THE EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC IS UP NEXT.
HAVE A SAFE NIGHT EVERYONE.
