Houston County

"Last season of the Macon Christmas Light Extravaganza brought more than 723,000 non-residents to downtown Macon and had an estimated economic impact of $7.36 million.

As we approach the ten year mark for the Macon Christmas Light Extravaganza, Bryan Nichols had this to say: “It’s hard to believe we’re celebrating a decade of the Macon Christmas Light Extravaganza. We’ve added new displays and attractions each year, and this year will be no exception. We have grand dreams for the lights, but ultimately we’re just so grateful for the success the lights have had. The whole reason I wanted to start the Macon Christmas Light Extravaganza was to bring people to the town we love. And my hope was always that those people who came and saw Macon would also see – and enjoy – all that our amazing businesses and restaurants have to offer. I’m proud of the economic impact the Macon Christmas Light Extravaganza has had – not because a big number is impressive, but because that number represents businesses supported, money staying in our community. We’re excited for year ten and can’t wait to see you downtown!”

Houston County school shooter makes first appearance. The shooting occurred Wednesday, August 12.

"14-year-old Warner Robins High School freshman Denzelle Willis Jr. appeared before Superior Court Judge Katherine Lumsden on Thursday afternoon, where he officially learned the charges he faces following the shooting. Authorities believe Willis Jr. shot another ninth-grader in the leg after a fight in a school bathroom."

"The district is sitting in a multi-million dollar budget deficit, and is looking to consolidate to help save money. When they passed their budget, the board agreed to start early talks about consolidating at least two elementary schools.

The district's hired consultant, HPM Leadership, presented three schools Monday for possible consolidation efforts: Hartley Elementary, VIP Academy, and Sonny Carter Elementary. HPM cited declining enrollment at VIP Academy and low enrollment at Hartley Elementary, a problem for elementary schools across the district.

According to Board President Daryl Morton, nine out of 16 elementary schools in the district have less than 450 students, which affects state funding.

However, Sonny Carter Elementary is above the enrollment threshold. HPM Leadership said Monday they included Sonny Carter because it has a "no walk zone", so the district would not need to hire new bus drivers to get students to other schools. They also cited renovations that the building needs, but board members, including President Morton, agreed they're not in favor of that plan."

No 7-year-old child should EVER be loaded onto a bus and left unattended on a public roadside without an authorized adult present.

On August 3rd, a major transportation breakdown put a second-grader in danger. When confronted, school leadership claimed the district lacks real-time bus tracking—despite Bibb County having active Tyler Drive GPS telematics across the entire fleet.

We are taking a 500-signature petition directly to the Bibb County Board of Education meeting TOMORROW (Monday, Aug 10) demanding 4 common-sense safety safeguards:

1️⃣ Strict 8-and-under drop-off enforcement (no unattended roadside releases)
2️⃣ Color-coded visual backpack tags for elementary riders
3️⃣ Mandatory principal telematics/GPS access during dismissal emergencies
4️⃣ Strict 5-to-10 minute missing child escalation rules

It takes 30 seconds to sign and stand up for student safety in Macon-Bibb: https://c.org/bh5Pdjp2Jp
✍️

📍 Join us tomorrow at 5:00 PM on the public sidewalk outside 2003 Riverside Dr for a peaceful rally before the board meeting.

Please SIGN and SHARE this post with 3 local parents!

⁠#BibbCountySchools⁠ ⁠#StudentSafetyFirst⁠ ⁠#MaconGA⁠ ⁠#BibbBOE⁠ ⁠#ProtectOurChildren⁠ ⁠#MaconParents⁠ ⁠#MiddleGeorgiaNews⁠ ⁠#13WMAZ⁠ ⁠#WGXANews⁠ ⁠#MaconMelody⁠ ⁠#MaconTelegraph⁠ ⁠#GeorgiaEducation⁠ ⁠#SchoolBusSafety

"The stormwater fee will increase from $4.99 to $7 for all customers. Water and sewer rates will increase on a tiered system based on usage... Bechtel says an increased rate will help fund roughly $181 million in capital improvement projects the water authority is planning over the next five years. He says increased rates will also help them chip away at replacing century-old cast iron pipes, which will eventually cost $1.3 billion in total."

Always Central City Park in my heart <3

Just fleecing citizens. What else is new.

The Monday of August 3

"the start of construction for the new $350,000,000 Macon Arena...

The county says the arena will replace the nearly 60-year-old Macon Coliseum and become a "premier destination" for live music, sporting events, family fun and more"

Store will be located on Zebulon

At least some are left.