Boeing Jobs Safe For Now in Macon

(Courtesy Boeing)

A United States Air Force contract means job security for 500 Boeing employees in Macon.

Workers at the Macon plant make part of the fuselage for the C-17 aircraft. The components are then shipped to Boeing's Long Beach, California facility where they are assembled. The 2.9 billion dollar contract is to purchase 15 planes.

The giant transport plane is used to carry equipment, supplies and personnel. The contract will keep the production line moving until August of 2010. During the presidential campaign President Barack Obama expressed his support for the aircraft.

The additional planes should also create more work for Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins where the C-17 is maintained.

Columbus Bank To Merge With Neighbors

The president of Columbus Bank and Trust Company says it’s "strength in numbers" for his institution’s decision to merge with three other banks in the region. The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reports this morning the Columbus bank will merge with banks in LaGrange, Warner Robins, and Phenix City. All four institutions are affiliates of the Columbus-based bankholding firm Synovus Financial Corporation.

An approval from regulators is expected by early June. The new merged operation would operate under the name CB&T, with $7.5 billion in assets serving 10 markets.

F-15 flies using synthetic fuel

Robins Air Force Base is testing synthetic fuel in its F-15's. This is the first high performance aircraft to use a blend of jet fuel and a natural gas derivative. The substance has already been tested in cargo planes and bombers and performed well.

Pilots say the planes, flying close to 15-hundred miles per hour, flew normally as they crisscrossed Middle Georgia for close to an hour. The Air Force plans to test the fuel in other planes soon. The Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins is responsible for maintaining the Air Force's fleet of F-15's.

Warner Robins bans saggy pants

The Warner Robins City Council is banning saggy pants. The indecent exposure ordinance makes it illegal for people to expose more than three inches of their underwear. Those found in violation could be fined up to 500 dollars and sentenced to six months in jail. Last year the City of Hawkinsville in Middle Georgia became the first in the state to outlaw saggy pants. Two Warner Robins City council members voted against the new rule.

Warner Robins little leaguers face must-win

The baseball kids of Warner Robins need to win their game this afternoon in the Southeast Regional tournament to keep their hope alive of returning to the Little League World Series. Last night, Warner Robins, Georgia's state champion, lost to the champion from Florida 3-2. Warner Robins' must-win game is ahead this afternoon against West Virginia at 1pm.

Georgia sports for Tuesday, August 5th

Atlanta Braves--

The Atlanta Braves opened their 7-game road trip on a losing note, falling 4-2 to the Giants in the series opener from San Francisco. The Braves have now lost 8 of their last 10 games. The team hopes to get veteran pitcher Tom Glavine back on the roster soon, perhaps this weekend. Glavine could be ready following a rehab minor league start Monday at Class-A Myrtle Beach, going 4 innings with 3 hits, a run and 4 strikeouts on his pitching line. Glavine has missed 8 weeks of action with a left elbow injury.

Braves/Skip Caray--

The Braves’ organization is still dealing with the death of longtime broadcaster Skip Caray. The Atlanta Journal Constitution spoke with Caray’s widow Paula on Monday. She revealed that Caray was feeding birds in the backyard of their home Sunday when she noticed he had collapsed. The Braves’ say the early report of Caray passing away in his sleep was based on information they had at the time. Caray was a radio and TV broadcaster for the club for 33 years.

Georgia Bulldogs football/suspensions--

The Georgia Bulldogs football team is making news again this week--for the wrong reasons. The list of suspended players got longer on Monday. Junior linebacker Darius Dewberry admits he caused damage to property at St Mary’s Hospital in Athens--he’s been suspended for the first two games of the upcoming season. Two other players were suspended indefinitely last weekend for incidents in Athens. Georgia has suspended eight players this offseason. The Bulldogs have been tapped by the national coaches as the top-ranked team in the country heading into the 2008 season.

Warner Robins Little League--

The baseball kids of Warner Robins need to win their game this afternoon in the Southeast Regional tournament to keep their hope alive of returning to the Little League World Series. Last night, Warner Robins, Georgia's state champion, lost to the champion from Florida 3-2. Warner Robins' must-win game is ahead this afternoon against West Virginia at 1pm.

Traffic-fighting Group Focusing on Military Drivers

Georgia's Clean Air Campaign, which has been setting up car pools for Atlanta commuters for over a decade is setting their sites on another target: The soldiers and civilians packing state military bases.

Military officials at Warner Robins Air Force Base near Macon, and at Fort Benning near Columbus say the response to the new RideShare program has been strong.

Polly Gustafson of Fort Benning’s Public Directorate, which administers the program says they are looking ahead to the over 30,000 personnel due as a part of a nationwide base relocation program:

"Fort Benning, of course, is going to grow because of BRAC and the coming of the armor school, and so we need to work on our transportation demand and get some of these cars off the road which will, in turn benefit our air quality here by reducing our air emissions."

Gustafson says 115 of Fort Benning’s civilian commuters signed up with the program this month, and that they intend to expand the program to military personnel in January. Over 1,500 soldiers and employees at Robins signed on during a weeklong event in October.

Clean Air Campaign spokesman Candace Mccaffery says the RideShare program pays carpoolers three dollars a day, up to $180 over three months.

(With The Associated Press)

Click here for more GPB News coverage of military affairs.

Voters decide local races across the state

Voters across Georgia turned-out in various communities to decide races and referendum questions.

The races for mayor in Macon and Savannah were not close. Attorney Robert Reichert took a landslide win in becoming the next mayor of Macon. He will succeed Jack Ellis in the middle Georgia city. In Savannah, a six candidate race was easily won by Otis Johnson. He takes re-election as mayor of the coastal city.

Other various election results across the state:

- In Augusta, there will be runoff elections on December 4th for the District 2 and 4 Commission seats.

- In Warner Robins, runoff elections are scheduled for two city council races.

- In Columbus, voters narrowly defeated a measure that would have created tax allocation districts.

- In Rome, the city Commission will return four incumbents, and add three new faces.

Warner Robins Little Leaguers meet President

Warner Robins' Little League world champions met President Bush in a ceremony Thursday at the White House. It was part of a whirlwind day for the boys in Washington D.C.

According to the Macon Telegraph, the team caught an early morning flight to the nation's Capital. First stop was a visit to Capitol Hill for a meeting with Georgia Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss--followed soon after by a pizza break. Next was the visit to the White House, where the boys spent a few minutes with the President and had pictures taken in the Oval Office.

This trip is just another in a long line since Warner Robins beat Japan in the Little League title game in late August. The team recently returned from a visit to the Kennedy Space Center, where they were special guests of NASA to watch last week's launch of the space shuttle.

U.S. Senate honors GA Little Leaguers

Today the United States Senate unanimously passed a resolution honoring the Warner Robins American Little League team. The resolution was sponsored by Georgia Senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss. Warner Robins is the third Georgia Little League team to win the World Series. A Columbus team won last year, and a Marietta team won in 1983.

Georgia sports for Monday, August 27th

The Braves have fallen farther back in their hopes of returning to the postseason, after losing at St Louis Sunday afternoon 4-1. The Braves dropped 2-of-3 in their series against the Cardinals, and now are 2-5 on their road trip. On Sunday, the Cardinals scored 3 runs in the 5th inning off Atlanta-starter Jo-Jo Reyes. The Braves’ offense came from catcher Brian McCann, who singled home Mark Teixeira in the 6th inning. The Braves now trail the NL-East leading Mets by 7 games, and are behind in the wild card race by 4 games. The final stop on the road trip for the Braves opens tonight with the 1st of 3 in Florida.

From the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons will hit the field for their third exhibition game of the preseason--their first at home, facing the Cincinnati Bengals. The side story of course will be the absence of Michael Vick, who will appear in Virginia court this morning to plead guilty to dog fighting charges.

The Little League World Series champion banner will reside in Georgia for a 2nd straight year. Yesterday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Warner Robins beat the team from Japan 3-2 for the title. It took extra innings--in the bottom of the 8th, shortstop Dalton Carriker knocked a solo home run to right field for the dramatic game-winner. Just last year, the city of Columbus celebrated its Little League title. Now, a celebration for the Warner Robins kids is being planned for later in the week.

Warner Robins wins Little League World Series

Dalton Carriker's game-winning homer.
(Phil Ellsworth for ESPN.com)

Dalton Carriker's homer to right field in the bottom of the eighth inning brought Warner Robins victory against Tokyo 3-2 in Sunday's title game.

The 12-year-old Carriker raised his arms in celebration after hitting a 2-1 pitch from Japan's Junsho Kiuchi over the right-field stands.

"USA! USA!" cried the Georgia-partisan crowd.

The jubilant kids from Warner Robins hugged Carriker as he reached the plate. A relieved manager Mickey Lay lost his hat after joining his team in celebration following a tense game marked by excellent pitching.

The Georgia crowd in the stands included Governor Sonny Perdue, who himself was a Warner Robins little league player growing up. Perdue missed a Southern Governors Association meeting over the weekend to be in Pennsylvania for the game.

This is the third straight Little League World Series championships that the United States has won. Columbus won the crown last year, and Ewa Beach, Hawaii, in 2005.

The previous two Georgia teams to advance to South Williamsport also won the title, including Columbus last year and East Marietta in 1983.

After exchanging handshakes with players from Japan, Georgia players took hold of the championship banner, their proud parents snapping pictures from the stands.

Teammates celebrate with Dalton Carriker, center with helmet on, as he crosses the plate. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

(Associated Press)

Georgia sports for Friday, August 24th

The Braves have stumbled out of Cincinnati, after losing 3 of the 4 games in their series against the Reds. Last night, the Braves fell in 12 innings in the 9-7 final. The winning blow came courtesy of Adam Dunn, who knocked a 2-run homer off closer Bob Wickman to end it. That ruined a night for Chipper Jones, who matched a career-high with 5 RBI's. With the loss, the Braves fell farther back in the wild card race, 3 games behind leading San Diego. In the chase for the NL-East division, the Braves remain 6 games behind the Mets. Atlanta's road trip continues tonight, opening a series in St. Louis.

Warner Robins' little league team has moved into the U.S finals of the Little League World Series. They beat the team from Chandler, Arizona on Thursday by the 16-6 final.
Warner Robins will face a team from Lubbock, Texas tomorrow for the U.S crown. The winner of that contest moves to Sunday's international game for the chance to claim the Little League World Series championship.

Warner Robins kids in U.S Final

Warner Robins' little league team has moved into the U.S finals of the Little League World Series. They beat the team from Chandler, Arizona on Thursday by the 16-6 final.
Warner Robins will face a team from Lubbock, Texas tomorrow for the U.S crown. The winner of that contest moves to Sunday's international game for the chance to claim the Little League World Series championship.

Warner Robins team plays on

The Warner Robins little league team has moved into the U.S. semifinals of the Little League World Series, being played in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Georgia's team beat their counterparts from Walpole, Massachusetts yesterday 8-1. The victory now sets a meeting for Warner Robins against a club from Chandler, Arizona today. The winner goes to the U.S finals. A win in that game earns the right to play for the international title.

Georgia sports for Tuesday, August 21st

Warner Robins' little league team was rained-out from action in the Little League World Series up in Williamsport, Pennsylvania Monday. All five games in the tournament yesterday were rained-out, so the entire schedule moves to today. Warner Robins has split their first two games, and must win this evening in order to stay alive.

To major league baseball, the Braves opened a long 10-game road trip in fine fashion last night, blasting the Reds 14-4 in Cincinnati to commence a 4-game series. For a 2nd-straight game, 1st baseman Mark Teixeira hit a pair of home runs--he had 3 of the Braves' 17 hits on the night, and accounted for 6 RBI's. Atlanta cracked 4 homers overall, including a grand slam from Brian McCann and a homer from Andruw Jones. The offense was more than enough to support the pitching of Tim Hudson, who earned his 5th-straight win, and is the first pitcher in the National League to reach the 15-win plateau.

Little League game postponed

Tonight’s Little League World Series game between Warner Robins and a New England team has been postponed. Rain cancelled all five of today’s games in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Today’s games will be played tomorrow, tomorrow’s games will be played Wednesday. All four semi-finals games will be played Thursday. The finals will be Saturday and Sunday.

Georgia sports for Monday, August 20th

The Braves scored a 6-2 win Sunday afternoon to salvage 1 victory in 3 games played against the Arizaon Diamondbacks over the weekend. 1st baseman Mark Teixeira knocked a pair of 2-run homers to support the strong pitching of John Smoltz. The Braves veteran pitcher posted a season-high 12 strikeouts in his 8 innings on the mound. In the process, he became the Braves’ all-time franchise strikeout leader, passing Phil Niekro on the list, with #2,913 in the 3rd inning. The Braves went 3-3 on the homestand, and now hit the road for 10-straight games. They'll open a 4-game series in Cincinnati tonight. In the standings, the Braves are in 3rd place in the NL-East division, trailing the leading New York Mets by 5-and-a-half games. Atlanta is closer in the wild card chase, trailing the San Diego Padres by only a game-and-a-half.

Warner Robins' Little League team split its 1st 2 games of action from the weekend in the Little League World Series up in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. A victory Friday over a team from Lake Oswego, Oregon was followed by defeat on Saturday to a team from Hamilton, Ohio. The Warner Robins kids face the New England representative tonight at 6pm-—a team from Walpole, Massachusetts

Out of the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons appear to have lost 3rd-string quarterback DJ Shockley for the entire upcoming season. The former Georgia Bulldog suffered a torn ligament in his left knee Friday night, in the Falcons’ preseason win at Buffalo.

Georgia sports for Friday, August 17th

The Braves were denied a sweep of the Giants last night, getting ripped by San Francisco 9-3 in the finale of the 3-game series. Starting pitcher Chuck James allowed 4 home runs in his stint on the mound, lasting only 3-and-2-thirds innings. The Braves remain 3-and-a-half games back of the Mets for 1st in the NL-East division. The Braves stay at home through the weekend, opening a new series at Turner Field tonight--hosting the NL-West leading Arizona Diamondbacks.

Many in the city of Warner Robins will have their focus on Williamsport, Pennsylvania starting tonight--and they hope, through the following weekend. The city's Little League All-Star team begins Little League World Series-play against a team from Lake Oswego, Oregon. Warner Robins is the southeast U-S champion. Warner Robins hopes to follow the fortunes of the team from Columbus, Georgia last year--crowned champs of Little League.

From the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons hit the field for their 2nd exhibition game of the preseason. They're in Buffalo, New York to face the Bills tonight. The Falcons were losers on the road last week in their preseason opener against the Jets.

College football teams are drawing closer to their season openers, roughly 2 weeks away. High School teams also in the closing stretch of preseason practice. Most prep teams in the state begin play on August 31st

Warner Robins team heading to Little League World Series

For a second straight year, a team from Georgia is on its way to compete in the Little League World Series.

The team from Warner Robins won the Southeast Regional championship game in St Petersburg, Florida last night. They beat a team from Mobile, Alabama 10-9.

This marks back-to-back years for a Georgia team to play for the Little League Championship. Last season, the team from Columbus went all the way in winning the title, beating a team from Japan.

Should the Warner Robins kids duplicate the Columbus-effort this year, it would mark the third team from Georgia to win a Little League crown. A Marietta-team was a winner in 1983.

The Series begins next Friday in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.