News

Laurens County Jobless Rates Above Georgia Average

Submitted by Jacqueline Harnevious, 13WMAZ Community Web Producer

Thursday, March 28th, 2013, 1:36pm

Laurens County Jobless Rates Above Georgia Average

Laurens County jobless rate in February was 10.8 percent compared to Georgia's 8.6 percent and metro Macon's nine percent.

The Georgia Department of Labor says February unemployment declined to nine percent in metro Macon.

According to a release, that's down from February 2012, when unemployment for metro Macon was 10 percent.

Georgia's February unemployment rate is 8.6 percent, not seasonally adjusted.

From January to February, metro Macon gained 500 jobs and fewer people were laid off.

Most jobs were added in the professional, business, education, health care, trade, transportation, warehousing, leisure and hospitality industries as well as in in local government.

Metro Macon includes Bibb, Crawford, Jones, Monroe and Twiggs counties.

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Georgia Southern Accepts Sun Belt Invitation

Submitted by 13WMAZ Web Staff

Wednesday, March 27th, 2013, 11:13am

Statesboro, GA (Sports Network) - Georgia Southern University announced on
Wednesday it is moving from the Southern Conference to the Sun Belt Conference
effective in 2014.

Georgia Southern has fielded one of the most successful programs in Football
Championship Subdivision history, with a record six national titles since 1985
and 10 Southern Conference championship since becoming a member in 1993.

In rising to the Bowl Subdivision level, Georgia Southern is expected to be
joined in the Sun Belt by fellow SoCon football member Appalachian State,
which has called a 4 p.m. ET news conference on Wednesday.

Both schools would make the move in all sports except men's soccer in the
2014-15 school year, although the football programs will not be eligible for
bowl games until the 2015 season.

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Great Hang Up: Teen Driving Commission

Submitted by Robin Folsom on Tuesday, March 26th, 7:59 pm

A group of teens from across the state want police and legislators to crack down on distracted drivers.

Last fall, Governor Nathan Deal created a teen driving commission to advise state legislators and agencies on ways to keep people's eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

Member Baylee Culverhouse told 13WMAZ's Katelyn Heck, "One thing we're all passionate about is keeping teens safe and keeping them distraction-free, keeping you free of impairment, and keeping you free of texting. I think one of the most important things is that we are keeping people aware of what's going on, and hopefully we will see changes in the next few years."

Changes like revamping the state's Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program to focus more on distracted driving, adding questions about the no-texting law to the drivers license test, and raising awareness through ads and state signs along highways.

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Wrightsville Murder Victim's Family Forgives Killer

Submitted by 13WMAZ Web Staff

Monday, March 25th, 2013, 11:33pm

Khristal Wright was shot to death, her body left on a country road in Laurens County and found Friday night.

"It made me feel like she was nothing but a bag of trash. And she wasn't. She was a human being," says Effie Bellamy who helped raised Wright.

Saturday morning, sheriff's deputies arrested 21-year-old Davoris Hodges. It's a name the Wrights have known for years.

"They was good friends. They made a CD together, they did music together," says Kimberly Hawkins Jones of her 23-year-old daughter.

Hodges was charged for murder and and armed robbery. Because the Hodges are close family friends, the Wrights are ready to forgive.

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Dublin Police Looking for Jewelry Store Robber

Submitted by Bernard O'Donnell

Monday, March 25th, 2013, 2:16pm

Dublin police are looking for a man who robbed a jewelry store and scuffled with the store owner.

Detective Mark Bell says it happened around 6:15 p.m. on March 8 at the Randolph Jewelry Road at 304 Pine Forest St.

He says the robber entered and hung around for awhile, waiting for others customers to leave before finally showing his gun.

Bell says the store owner tried to take the gun away but couldn't.

The store owner, his wife, and their young daughter were inside the store, along with at least one customer.

Bell says the customer led the owner's daughter outside to her car, but the robber went out and brought them back in -- apparently to keep them from calling 911.

No one was injured, Bell said, but the robber got away with both cash and jewelry.

Anyone with information on the case can call Dublin police at (478) 277-5023.

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