Legislation aimed at requiring back-seat passengers to wear safety belts in Georgia hit speed bumps Wednesday as key Senate lawmakers disagreed over penalties and court implications for violators. Georgia has required front-seat passengers to wear belts in most vehicles since 1988. It remains one of 20 states that lack similar rules for the back seat. […]
Posted inCrime
Police search for clues in Gwinnett County hit and run
DULUTH — The Gwinnett County Police Department needs your help to identify a vehicle involved in a hit and run on Feb. 15. The police were notified of a man in the middle of the roadway on Pleasant Hill Road at Club Drive at 7:06 p.m. When officers arrived, they located the victim, Aurelio Peneda. […]
Posted inCrime
The body of a missing Fort Valley State student has been found. Her boyfriend has been arrested
CRAWFORD COUNTY — The boyfriend of a missing Fort Valley State University student who’s body was found in a wooded area in Crawford County yesterday has been arrested. On Tuesday, February 18, 2020, at approximately 3:20 p.m., the body of Anitra Lashay Gunn was discovered in a wooded area on Greer Road in Crawford County, […]
Posted inGeorgia People
Meet Georgia’s new acting public safety commissioner
Former Tift County Sheriff Gary Vowell has been tapped to fill Georgia’s public safety chief post after former public safety commissioner Col. Mark McDonough was forced out last week. McDonough was asked to resign by Gov. Brian Kemp following a cheating scandal involving 30 state troopers. Today the Board of Public Safety voted unanimously to […]
Posted inCrime
Georgia police search for bank robbery suspect
GAINESVILLE — Police in Gainesville need your help finding a suspect in a bank robbery that occurred Tuesday morning at a BB&T on Jesse Jewel Parkway. The robbery occurred at about 10:15 a.m., when the suspect entered the business through the main lobby and walked up to a bank teller. The suspect passed a note […]
Posted inYour Family
Bill to end Surprise Medical Billing in Georgia moves forward
Legislation aimed at ending the practice of “surprise billing” of medical patients in Georgia cleared a committee in the state House of Representatives Tuesday. Lawmakers have been trying for years to help patients hit with unexpected charges from hospitals that participate in their insurance plan’s network for health-care services provided by out-of-network specialists. “People are […]
Posted inCrime
Search continues for Georgia man wanted for arson
MORGAN COUNTY — Authorities are still searching for a Morgan County man they believe set fire to a pickup truck and a house last year. On Jan. 31, the Morgan County Grand Jury indicted 30-year-old Clifford Cole Walker for two counts of Arson in the First Degree and one count of Arson in the Second […]
Posted inIn The News
Former Georgia schools turnaround chief sues to block public release of damaging report
After resigning last month, the head of efforts to turnaround struggling schools in Georgia has filed a lawsuit against the state Department of Education to block public release of a damaging audit the agency completed that led to his resignation. The lawsuit was filed two days after the education agency notified Chief Turnaround Office Eric […]
Posted inLocal
Landlords in Atlanta can no longer refuse to rent based on someone’s source of income
ATLANTA — The city of Atlanta is cracking down on housing discrimination by prohibiting landlords from rejecting an applicant based on that applicant’s source of income. The Atlanta City Council approved an ordinance Monday prohibiting such discrimination, which would also include denying the acceptance of government vouchers. The legislation was approved by a vote of […]
Posted inCrime
14-year-old girl killed in fatal crash in Bibb County
MACON — A 14-year-old girl is dead after a police chase and crash that occurred in Bibb County early Monday morning. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the fatal crash on Napier Ave. near Habersham Ave. at 1:40 a.m. Bibb County Sheriff’s Office Patrol deputies witnessed a Nissan Sentra fail to stop at the […]