Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall. another driver injured in Hawkinsville Road crashby Jordan Stevenson (WGXA) — A motorcyclist was killed and another driver was hurt after a fatal crash in Macon on Tuesday morning According to the Bibb County Sheriff's Office (BSO) IN YOUR COMMUNITY | Sheriff's office confirms second Sardis Church Rd crash in four days BSO said a Chevrolet Avalanche was making a left turn onto Hawkinsville Road from a gas station and a motorist driving a Harley-Davidson motorcycle was traveling north on the same road before the two vehicles collided 40-year-old David Christopher Lewis of Warner Robins according to Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones The driver of the Avalanche was taken to a medical facility for his injuries Lanes surrounding the crash on Hawkinsville Road have since reopened after BSO's investigation Anyone with information on the crash is asked to contact the Bibb County Sheriff's Office at (478) 751-7500 and ask to speak with a fatality investigator Stick with WGXA where we're keeping you ready for what's next UPDATE (4:10 p.m.) –  The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office has identified the driver of the Harley Davidson as 40-year-old David Christopher Lewis of Warner Robins Georgia (41NBC/WMGT-DT)- The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal traffic collision that occurred this morning on Hawkinsville Road The crash was reported to the Macon-Bibb E-911 Center at 7:33 a.m Authorities say a Chevrolet Avalanche was turning left onto Hawkinsville Road from a gas station when it collided with a Harley Davidson motorcycle traveling north on Hawkinsville Road was transported to a medical facility and is currently listed in stable condition was pronounced dead at the scene by Deputy Coroner Richard Robinson His identity has not been released at this time All lanes of Hawkinsville Road were temporarily shut down from Houston Road to Allen Road during the investigation but have since reopened The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the fatal collision Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 478-751-7500 Georgia's State Senator for District 20 Larry Walker III (R-Perry) announced that the city of Hawkinsville would be receiving a $2.26 million grant from OneGeorgia and Gov Brian Kemp's Rural Workforce Housing Initiative Hawkinsville was one of just three cities in the Peach State to receive these grants and city manager Sara Myers said it could make a big difference "It's a good economic development tool," Myers told WGXA "When industries look to come to a community those are one of the key factors that they look at." Myers said that when the city had applied for the grant they had the intention of starting the project in the new year that may change once they meet with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs The planned usage of the funds will improve road and sewer infrastructure to create 58 new single-family homes at the sub-section of 220 McCormick Ave The city and a Hive Construction will chip in an additional $194,000 to the project pushing the grand total to just under $2.5 million Walker spoke with WGXA via phone Tuesday afternoon and acknowledged the significance of the investment "What I really appreciate is the governor's focus and the legislators and state's focus on growing jobs all over the state not just in the metro Atlanta area," Walker told WGXA He and Myers pointed to national defense being a key industry in Middle Georgia with the Robins Air Force Being just 25 miles north of Hawkinsville Myers said she believes the new housing could attract new people to the area "It would be our hope that eventually some of the contractors for the base would come to Hawkinsville and we want to ensure that their workforce has somewhere to live when they come here," Myers said Walker said he has faith in local leaders in their ability to keep transforming their city "They have a big focus on taking blighted areas and underutilized areas and redeveloping those areas and they've had some success and this will continue that," Walker said "[They're] real salt of the earth people that are hardworking.. Georgia – (41NBC/WMGT) – On Wednesday night in Pulaski County the Hawkinsville Red Devils (17-12) fell to the Warren County Screaming Devils (21-9) in the GHSA Class A Division-Two Quarterfinal Round by a final score of 46-37 to end their season (WGXA) — A Hawkinsville business opened its doors to those serving the community after Hurricane Helene ripped through middle Georgia "We hope everyone stayed safe through the storm We are open for anyone who needs us!" WGXA came across the friendly business owners as they reported about downed trees and power lines Thursday and early Friday Theresa Carver was inside the store whipping up breakfast for first responders "We're up this early every day trying to feed our farmers and our community Today was no day different," said Carver who found time to serve her community as her house was damaged from the massive storm Carver who has a son in law enforcement wanted to help first responders "We know we're supposed to stay off the roads and encourage everybody if you don't have to be on the road But those first responders have to be out there we're here for you," she told WGXA Those folks that were able to take a break from responding to the storm's aftermath were serveda country meal that included biscuits Georgia (41 NBC/WMGT) — The city of Hawkinsville was awarded a $2.26 million grant through Gov Brian Kemp’s (R-Ga) Rural Workforce Housing Initiative The city will use the grant to build a 58-home subdivision at 220 McCormick Avenue Hawkinsville is working to attract new business and is doing all it can to provide housing for the workforce District 20 state senator Larry Walker III serves on the legislative overview committee of the One Georgia Authority which approved the workforce housing grant Walker says population growth and an increased number of missions at the Robins Air Force Base means there’s a greater need for resources to pour into underdeveloped Middle Georgia communities “It’s going to be a game-changer for housing in the Middle Georgia area,” Walker said we’ve got to have the workforce to fill them And the workforce has to have somewhere to live.”  says the people of Hawkinsville won’t have to wait long to see the new subdivision with the completion of infrastructure installation in October 2025,” Myers said Myers says Hawkinsville has been working to match population growth with housing already adding 50 new homes within the last year She believes the McCormick Avenue subdivision will continue to check off boxes for business owners who are evaluating the potential of Pulaski County “They want to know if you have houses available for their workforce,” Myers said “They want to know about your school system and your hospital.” Myers says the city doesn’t have companies on the way currently “It’s important that we have that housing stock in case an industry does want to locate here in Hawkinsville,” Myers said Ga (WGXA) - The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating a fatal collision involving a pedestrian on Hawkinsville Road The tragic incident was reported to the Macon-Bibb E-911 Center at 2:28 p.m deputies found a 25-year-old Hatima Wilkins unresponsive Investigators determined she had been struck by an unknown vehicle the victim was pronounced dead at the scene by Coroner Leon Jones The identity of the woman is being withheld until her family can be notified Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at 478-751-7500 and ask to speak with a Fatality Investigator Georgia (41 NBC/WMGT) — The City of Hawkinsville celebrated the groundbreaking of a 5.4-mile gas pipeline replacement project on Wednesday The project was made possible through a $680,316 grant from the U.S Department of Transportation (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Hawkinsville City Manager Sara Myers says replacing the bare steel pipe with polyethylene will make the city safer “Bare steel gas lines are prone to leaks,” Myers said “And it’s imperative for our environment and our citizens that we maintain safe infrastructure That’s why we are super excited to get started with this project and have the replacement lines put in.” Myers says the project concludes the 18-mile stretch of bare steel pipe replacement Hawkinsville has completed over the last five years Myers worked with city commissioners and the DOT to secure the grant and begin the pipeline replacement project Replacing the bare steel pipes with polyethylene pipes will help local utility companies keep costs down for ratepayers the Executive Director of the DOT’S Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration says the new pipes will help stop environmental contamination from leaks improving the quality of air and life of people in Hawkinsville “These pipes are specifically designed to withstand more volatile temperatures and pressure significantly improving reliability and the safety of this pipeline network,” McMillan said The grant stipulates that the gas pipeline replacement project is complete by the end of the year (UPDATE 8/1) 17-year-old Levarius Ke’Shay Madrad Ates of Eastman died after a shooting at a block party in July according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation HAWKINSVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating a shooting in Hawkinsville that left a 17-year-old from Eastman injured, according to a press release Deputies arrived on scene and discovered a 17-year-old suffering from a gunshot wound The teenager was taken to a local hospital and is in critical condition Deputies say the shooting took place where there was a block party with an extremely large crowd.The investigation is active and ongoing This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application He grew up in Hawkinsville and attended school in Dodge County He graduated from Hawkinsville High School in 1964 and attended Middle Georgia College He then graduated from Mercer University in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology going on to graduate from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis the Army Reserve and the Air Force Reserve where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before retiring in 1994 Gary and his wife Dorothy moved to Palatka while at Peniel Baptist Church Gary was called to ministry There he started as a Sunday School teacher He served at Peniel Baptist Church for over 10 years before Gary and Dorothy moved to Valdosta in 2014 to be near their daughter They joined Northside Baptist Church the same year A few months later he started teaching Sunday School then soon after that started serving as Senior Adult Pastor and then shifted to serving as Pastoral Care Gary loved people and wherever he was and whatever he was doing he was loving people and ministering to them A funeral service will be held at 2pm on Friday Burial will follow at McLane Riverview Memorial Gardens The family will receive friends on Thursday from 5-7pm at Carson McLane Funeral Home Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Northside Baptist Church Building Our Legacy Online condolences may be shared at www.mclanefuneralservices.com Add to Calendar Add to Calendar Add to Calendar This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors When Bryan County’s girls play at Macon County on Friday night in the second round of the Class A-DII state playoffs they won’t be going in blind Coach Mario Mincey leaves no stone unturned when it comes to preparation and he has been studying film on the Bulldogs and most every other team in Region 6 for the second half of the season The Friday night game will bring together two of the top teams in Class A-DII looking to advance to the quarterfinals of the playoffs for the second straight year after knocking off Hawkinsville 3 by the AJC one spot behind Macon County (20-3) in their region title matchup and thus earned a No “They’re a good team,” Mincey said of Macon County “I’ve been watching film on them for several weeks now I start studying all of the teams we might face so we know quite a bit about them.” Hawkinsville was obviously not as prepared as Bryan County which is no longer as guard oriented as Redskins teams of the past couple of seasons With three “bigs” on the inside in Ashanti Brown Soniya Walker and Layla Mincey the Redskins pounded it inside and Hawkinsville didn’t have an answer a freshman who has proven she’s not playing just because she’s the coach’s daughter but rather because she is capable the only player in school history to register more than 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds Mincey had career highs with 10 points and 10 rebounds “We got control of the game early and maintained it,” Mincey said of his team’s play “The closest they got was around 13 points in the third quarter.” “I got to play a lot of kids which is good because it gives them a taste of what it’s like to play in a state playoff game.” Bryan County’s second leading scorer at 14.2 points per game—Brown leads at 15.7 to go with 10.4 rebounds per outing—scored only three points but she had five assists and played a near flawless floor game “They were concentrating more on our perimeter game,” Mincey said With our size we’re a different team than some of the ones we’ve had the last few years “We’ve already watched Macon County,” Mincey said “I’ve been watching them since they got ranked in the Top 10 like Taylor County This is Bryan County’s fourth straight trip to the state playoffs and eighth in the last nine years The only time it missed out was in the COVID impacted 2021 season which can only go down as an aberration a junior who has started every game for three seasons she would be its universal joint as she directs the offense and defense One problem the Redskins have had this season is they tend to play to the level of the competition When we know we’re better than a team we tend to play down to them rather than playing like we would play against a team like Screven or Metter.” If that axiom holds true then the Redskins who finished the season with a 12-0 record at home should be in the mix against the Bulldogs when the game gets to its closing minutes Macon County is led in scoring by 5-foot-9 junior Morgan Cochran at 17.7 points per game “The big kid (Cochran) can play inside or out,” Mincey said “She’s real good and they’re a lot like us in that they depend on defense It’s going to be kind of like a boxing match.” Mike Brown is a sports correspondent with the Bryan County News (WGXA) — A car crash on Highway 96 in Houston County on Wednesday afternoon sent one person to the hospital NEW TODAY: Suspect arrested in Ace Hardware burglary, per BSO According to the Houston County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) deputies responded to the crash at the intersection of Highway 96 and Old Hawkinsville Road HCSO said one driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and another driver refused medical attention The remains were discovered by a local resident on November 26 The FBI lab confirmed the identification more than three years after Snellgrove’s disappearance His next of kin has been notified of the findings “It is the hope and prayers of the agencies involved that Mr Snellgrove’s family may have closure after so many years have passed since his disappearance,” Eastman Police Chief William Cooper said in the release Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the discovery of skeletal remains According to a post on the Dodge County Sheriff’s Facebook page Friday afternoon Sheriff Brian Robinson received a call from Chief Becky Sheffield in reference to skeletal remains found on the Hawkinsville Hihgway Coroner Joe Smith and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) were notified to process the scene The remains were collected and will be sent the GBI Crime Lab for an autopsy No further information is available at this time Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This week’s *Game Changer* spotlight is on Harlem Phillips an athlete who’s making a difference both on and off the field "Go Devils!" But it's not just about football for Harlem; it's about leadership A lot of kids come to me because they see me as a smart person My mom always reminds me that people are watching especially being a Black kid in a small town and I try to break through them with my play and in the classroom." Harlem credits much of his success to his mom who has always emphasized the importance of education and it’s been that way since day one," Harlem shared with a smile Harlem is also making an impact through his community work He’s a member of the Beta Club and recently chaperoned a Special Olympics event "We held an Olympic trial for kids with special needs "It meant everything to me to see those kids smile When asked what was going through his mind in that moment "I was thinking about how these memories will stay with them I wanted to make sure they had something to look back on when times get tough." Harlem has a powerful message for athletes who might think it's not "cool" to give back or focus on schoolwork: "People may not think it's cool because others don't make it cool but it's not about what other people think died peacefully at Houston Medical Center on Monday He lived the majority of his life in Centerville attended Harvest Church a Methodist Congregation in Byron It was with great honor and pride that Bill served in the United States Navy before beginning his career in civil service He retired from civil service as a Facilities Manager and Track for many years at the local recreational department In his spare time he enjoyed genealogy research and anything that involved spending time with his beloved family especially his grandchildren and great grandchildren who sweetly referred to him as "P-pa" "Red" and Lillian Jones Hudson; and six siblings preceded him in death.His memory will forever be treasured by his loving wife of 56 years Angela "Angie" Hudson McDade of Byron; Stormie Cherie Chenoweth (Thomas) of Bonaire; Andrew Jack Hudson of Centerville; Penny J Jennifer Marie Chenoweth; as well as four great grandchildren; and honorary daughters Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m 2016 in the chapel of McCullough Funeral Home Bill will be laid to rest in Orange Hill Cemetery in Hawkinsville the family respectfully suggests memorial donations be given in memory of William J Add to Calendar Add to Calendar Add to Calendar (WGXA) — The Eastman teenager who was injured during a block party shooting incident in Hawkinsville has died The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said Tuesday that 17-year-oldLevarius Ke’Shay Madrad Ates died from his injuries on Monday TRENDING: Dive teams resume search for possible drowning victim at Amerson River Park Deputies with the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) were dispatched to MLK police found a 17-year-old boy suffering from an apparent gunshot wound The boy was taken to a hospital where he remains in critical condition The GBI said a preliminary investigation revealed there had been a block party with an "extremely large crowd present" at the time of the shooting The GBI's investigation remains ongoing Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the GBI's Regional Investigative Office in Eastman at (478) 374-6988.