JEFFERSONVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Twiggs County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, is urging the public to avoid driving under the influence this holiday season.

As part of the state’s annual “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign, running from December 13, 2023, through January 1, 2024, the office says it’s intensifying efforts to prevent DUIs. State troopers, sheriff’s deputies and police officers will step up enforcement during this period and will take any driver they find to be over the legal Blood-Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level of .08 in Georgia to jail.

“No warnings. No call a friend to drive you home. No exceptions,” a sheriff’s office news release said.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were more than 4,500 people killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in the United States in the month of December from 2017 to 2021, and 1,013 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in the U.S. in December of 2021.

In Georgia, one out of four people killed in traffic crashes in December from 2017 to 2021 involved a driver whose BAC was higher than the state’s legal limit, and 70 percent of the fatal alcohol-impaired driving crashes in the state in December during this five-year period involved one driver with a BAC that was more than twice the legal limit.

Law enforcement has the following tips to help stop drunk driving and avoid a DUI, which could cost upwards of $10,000:

1. Chose a non-drinking person to be the designated driver before going out.
2. Do not let someone you know get behind the wheel if they have been drinking.
3. Let friends know they can contact you for a sober ride when needed.
4. Those hosting a party where alcohol is served should make sure guests leave with a sober driver.
5. Always wear your seat belt because it is the best defense against impaired drivers.

TCSO announces $61,418 in traffic enforcement grants

The Twiggs County Sheriff’s Office says it’s been awarded two grants totaling more than $60,000.

The first is a $21,843 grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS). This funding acknowledges the office’s role as the coordinating agency of GOHS’s Middle Georgia Traffic Enforcement Network, which focuses on enforcing safety belt, speed and impaired driving laws.

“This is our way of supporting the Twiggs County Sheriff’s Office through its continued leadership via Coordinator Captain Lee Smith and the Middle Georgia Traffic Enforcement Network,” GOHS Law Enforcement Services Director Roger Hayes said. “We want to make sure they can continue their region-wide efforts to protect Georgia motorists from drunk and otherwise dangerous drivers.”

The Middle Georgia Traffic Enforcement Network includes law enforcement agencies in Bibb, Bleckley, Crawford, Crisp, Dooly, Houston, Macon, Peach, Pulaski, Turner, Twiggs and Wilcox counties.

The grant will support ongoing initiatives to slow down speeders, promote seat belt usage and remove impaired drivers from roadways.

Sheriff Darren Mitchum says his office is committed to reducing traffic-related crashes, injuries and fatalities in the area.

The sheriff’s office also received a High Visibility Enforcement (HVE) grant of $39,575 from GOHS. The grant, funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is part of an effort to address a rise in traffic deaths in the United State over the past two years.

“High Visibility Enforcement combines highly visible and proactive law enforcement to target a specific traffic safety issue designed to change unlawful and dangerous driving behaviors that contribute to most of the fatal and serious-injury traffic crashes on our road,” a news release said.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Six students from Bibb County middle schools have each been awarded a $10,000 Reach Foundation Scholarship.

The scholarship is designed to support students through high school and college and further assist them as they transition into the workforce.

Among the esteemed recipients is Lamario Scott, an 8th grader from Appling Middle School.

“”He is actually taking two high school courses now because we identified him early,” Appling Middle School Principal Sally Moody said.

Lamario says he wants to become a game developer, a dream supported by his strong family backing.

“Spend time with them, that’s what I do every single day,” Lamario’s father Darius Patrick said. Darius is no stranger to the scholarship: his daughter was a recipient last year.

In addition to Lamario Scott, the scholarship recipients include Savada Jones from Ballard-Hudson Middle, Khilee Mann from Howard Middle, Jabrea Williams from Miller Middle, Annabelle Ellison from Rutland Middle and Christian Perez from Weaver Middle. These students have maintained a minimum 2.5 GPA, a clean discipline record and good attendance, all prerequisites for the scholarship.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Goodwill and The Salvation Army have joined forces to launch a program in Macon aimed at providing essential education and practical training for job seekers.

The initiative, a first in the nation, is designed to empower Middle Georgians with the skills required for in-demand careers.

“Our goal is to in that 90-day period really look with intensive career coaching, get people in industry credential training programs and then get them to an employer where they can get into a middle skill job and make a sustainable living wage,” Senior Vice President of Career Development for Goodwill, Leah Pontoni, said.

The program will offer a range of courses such as EKG technician, medical administrative assistant, forklift operator and logistics technician, all tailored to meet urgent workforce needs in various high-demand sectors.

To be eligible for this program, candidates from The Salvation Army must possess at least a high school diploma. This ensures the participants are well-prepared to engage in the intensive eight-week training courses.

The program is set to start next month.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Otis Redding Foundation is being recognized for its contributions to the arts with the Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities.

The award is presented to organizations that support the growth of Georgia’s creative industries through community involvement, innovative programs and financial commitment.

The Director of the Otis Redding Center for the Arts, Kimberly Kelsey Epps, says the foundation supports the arts in Middle Georgia through music workshops, private lessons and youth camps.

“There are so many amazing, amazing entities and people in the state of Georgia who worked so hard to build up the arts community within the state,” Epps said. “We were so touched that we were chosen this year.”

Epps says receiving the award can help promote the Otis Redding Foundation and its future projects and also highlights the need for supporting arts in the community.

The Otis Redding Foundation was one of 10 organizations in the state to receive the award this year. You can find the full list of recipients by clicking here.

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Your furry friend can get pictures with Santa during the Warner Robins Animal Control shelter donation drive this Saturday, December 16, and it’s for a good cause.

You can get pet pictures taken with a $5 donation and have your pet micro-chipped for $10. For $1, you can also enter a raffle for a custom pet portrait by artist Jennifer Williams.

All proceeds collected during the donation drive will go toward the shelter.

Animal Control Officer Jessica McAbee says the money raised helps to buy things like pet food, toys and cleaning supplies.

“Every year we like to do pictures with Santa, and we always ask for donations,” McAbee said. “Come in and take pictures and get donations, just to be able to do a little extra special things for the animals and stuff that we normally wouldn’t be able to do.”

The event is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the shelter, located on Stalnaker Avenue in Warner Robins.

You can donate to the shelter any time of year through cash donations, and you can also drop off pet or cleaning supplies in person. To contact the shelter, call (478) 929-7290 or message Warner Robins Animal Control on Facebook.

Items the shelter is accepting:

• Dry adult and puppy food
• Wet puppy food
• Laundry soap
• Vinegar
• Peroxide
• Rubbing alcohol
• Towels
• Wash clothes
• Large metal dog food bowls
• Large dual/deep plastic cat feeder bowls
• News paper
• Puppy pads
• Small plastic litter pans
• Fabuloso (purple)
• Leashes
• Self adhesive bandages
• Toys

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Get ready to put on your most outrageous and eye-catching ugly sweater for a fun night in downtown Macon.

Hotel Forty Five invites the public to its “Reckon Around the Christmas Tree: Ugly Sweater Party” at Reckon Coffee & Wine Bar inside Hotel Forty Five.

The hotel says it’ll be a night filled with holiday cheer, unique drink specials and live entertainment from Soul Candy.

It’s happening this Friday, December 15 from 8 to 11 p.m.

Prizes await those who come dressed in the most cringe-worthy holiday sweaters.

Hotel Forty Five is located at 401 Cotton Avenue in downtown Macon.

For more details, visit the hotel’s events page here.

MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office jailer has been arrested and is accused of sexually assaulting an inmate at the Baldwin County Detention Center.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a news release the jailer is 25-year-old Emmanuelle Robinson of Macon. The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI’s assistance investigating this case in September, and Robinson turned himself in on December 6.

Robinson has been charged with sexual contact by a person with supervisory disciplinary authority. The GBI will continue the investigation.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A new Dunkin’ Donuts is having it’s grand opening today, and they’re giving people a reason to celebrate.

the new location at 1400 Bass Road, starting at 9:00 Wednesday morning, will be giving away free coffee for a year to the first 100 guests in line.

If you can’t be there at 9 a.m. don’t fret, this new Dunkin will be offering guests a free medium hot or iced coffee all day Wednesday the 13th.

FORSYTH, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office needs your help finding a man deputies say was involved in a hit-and-run.

It happened Sunday just before 6 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 83 and McCommon Road.

Deputies say they have identified who the man is, but they have not released his name.

If you know where he is or have any information, call the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office at (478) 994-7010.

You can also contact the sheriff’s office on Instagram, Facebook, or the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office app.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Bibb County is now Georgia’s crime capital, according to new research.

The study, completed by Bader Scott, a personal injury law firm, analyzed 2022 data from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) on ten different categories of crime, including burglary, arson and murder.

Each county that is part of a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was analyzed on its total number of crimes compared against its population to reveal a rate of crimes per 1,000 people.

Macon-Bibb, which has a population of 156,960, has a crime rate of nearly 52.6 crimes per 1,000 residents.

In 2022, there were a total of 8,266 crimes recorded in the county. The most common was theft, while the second was aggravated assault.

Macon-Bibb had the highest crime rate in 2022 for seven of the ten crime categories.

DeKalb, Clarke, Muscogee and Fulton counties round out the top five.

The county with the lowest crime rate per 1,000 residents is Talbot.

DUBLIN, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Uniformed officers of the Carl Vinson VA Police Department will begin wearing body cameras this week.

Starting Thursday, December 14, all VA officers will have body cameras, and their police vehicles will be equipped with dash cameras around March 2024. It’s all part of an effort Dublin VA police chief Roderick McNeil says will enhance transparency of police operations and officer safety.

“Everything we do in the policing profession is based on trust between ourselves and our public,” McNeil said. “We’ve worked hard for many years to build and maintain the highest level of credibility possible. The cameras will allow us to build on that foundation even further.”

According to the VA, the new policy will help its officers protect veterans, their families, caregivers, survivors, visitors and VA employees while on VA grounds.

The cameras will automatically record video and audio when an officer draws their issued firearm from their duty belt holster or when an officer activates the emergency lights in their police vehicle. Officers will also manually turn on their cameras during investigations and enforcement encounters. In-car cameras will be turned on for traffic stops, while responding to calls for service and while transporting those in custody.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Downtown Macon is set to host its annual Christmas Parade this weekend.

The parade begins Sunday, December 17 at 4 p.m., and the following streets will be closed between 12 and 6 p.m.:

• Cherry Street from Fifth Street to First Street
• Mulberry Street from MLK Blvd. to First Street
• First Street, Second Street, Third Street and Third Street Lane between Mulberry Street and Cherry Street
• Poplar Street, Plum Street and Oak Street and Oglethorpe Street from Fifth Street to MLK
• MLK between Walnut Street and Poplar Street

All vehicles will need to be removed from the following streets before 11 a.m. on December 17 or they will be towed at the owner’s expense.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Hollywood stars may be making a visit to Macon to film a movie, and you have a chance to appear alongside of them.

Samuel L. Jackson and ‘Queen of Neo Soul’ Erykah Badu are just some of the stars in a new movie coming to Netflix called “The Piano Lesson.” It’s being produced by Denzel Washington.

In an effort to support Macon, film organizers aren’t just looking for those in front of the camera.

“The film has asked for local contacts for a variety of different services,” Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Visit Macon, Aaron Buzza, said. Buzza is working with the film to secure locations, permits and connections within the county.

Buzza says the film already has crews in Macon, and they’re helping boost the local economy by visiting local coffee shops and staying in local hotels and Airbnbs.

After going through a strike for more than a year, Buzza says he believes the best is yet to come for the film industry and that this new film could be the jumpstart for a film-filled 2024 in Macon.

ATLANTA (41NBC/WMGT) – The Perry High School football team captured its first football state championship Tuesday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, beating Stockbridge 38-27 in the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAAA title game.

The Panthers led 17-14 at halftime before pulling away in the second half. Stockbridge scored in the final minutes to close the deficit to 11.

The Panthers finish the season 13-2.

It was Perry’s first appearance in a state championship game. The program appeared in the semifinals in 1959 under coach Herb St. John but fell to Brooks County. The school’s football stadium is now named after St. John, who was the school’s first coach and led the program from 1954 to 1968.

Coach Kevin Smith is now a state champion. He took the head coaching job at Perry in 2017, missing the playoffs in his first season as coach but leading the program to the postseason every year since.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office brought holiday cheer to children in the hospital  by donating a variety of gifts, including trucks, cars, and dinosaur toys, to the Holly Jolly Shoppe.

The sheriff’s office has participated in the initiative, sponsored by the Navicent Health Foundation, for more than a decade.

The Holly Jolly Shoppe at Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital collects donations from community organizations throughout December to provide gifts to children who are hospitalized during the holidays.

Atrium Health Navicent is accepting donations up until Christmas. You can drop off items in a donation bin that’s available 24/7 in the hospital lobby.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – If you’re a new or expecting parent, Piedmont Macon Medical Center is offering free classes to help you care for a newborn.

The classes cover everything from childbirth to baby basics and breastfeeding. The hospital hosts three classes each month, and you don’t have to be a patient to attend.

The Director of Women’s Services at Piedmont Macon, Kari Willingham, says having support and being prepared can help make giving birth easier.

“If we can give you a little bit of what to expect when you come in, it will help ease those fears to know what’s going on when when things get crazy and start happening,” Willingham said.

Friends and family of parents are also encouraged to attend the classes.

For class dates and times, or to register for classes, call (478) 765-4502.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office is inviting the community to its “Santa’s Village at Outreach” event this Saturday, December 16.

The free event, which includes a toy giveaway, hot chocolate, a book giveaway and appearances by Bibb County Sheriff’s Office deputies and the Grinch, will start at 9 a.m. and end at 12 p.m. It’s happening at the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office Outreach & Restorative Justice Center, located at 774 Hazel Street, a sheriff’s office news release said.

It’s open to Bibb County children aged 4-14.

Gift registration starts at 9 a.m. To receive a gift, children must be present with a parent or guardian. Toy distribution is on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last, the news release said.

For more information, contact the Bibb Sheriff’s Outreach Office at (478) 803-2710.

PERRY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Perry High School Panthers are facing off against the Stockbridge Tigers at Mercedes Benz Stadium for the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Class AAAA football state championship game.

More than a hundred students, staff, family and fans gathered outside of Perry High School Tuesday morning to cheer on the Panthers as they left for Atlanta. This is the first time the Panthers have made it to the state championship game.

One Perry High School alumni who was there for the sendoff, Gawain Atwater, says it’s something he’s always wanted to see.

“Play hard,” he said. “Do what you’ve been doing all year. Don’t let anything, any situation change the game. You’re only one game difference from getting what you want. One game away. Go panthers!”

Georgia Public Broadcasting named Perry High School Head Football Coach Kevin Smith its Class AAAA Coach of the Year.

The game was set to start at 4 p.m. but was delayed due to the previous game going into multiple overtimes. Kickoff is now set for around 5:20. We’ll have highlights on 41NBC News at 11.