Studying music at the University of Southern California, Katie Skene knows a thing or two about the history of popular music. She’s also performed songs from the likes of Otis Redding and the Allman Brothers Band as a singer and guitar player. But Skene, along with her family and 35 other people, got to hear some of the stories behind the stories of Macon’s music heritage, and not just those of the big names like Redding and the Allmans, either, as part of Rock Candy Tours. The tour, operated by the married duo of Jessica Walden and Jamie Weatherford, has been running as a private business since the spring, and Monday’s post-Christmas tour represented the largest gathering yet.

www.macon.com
December 27, 2011
By: Phillip Ramitti

Date/Time: Monday, Nov. 14, at 6:30pm
Place: Willet Science Building Lecture Hall, Mercer University

This composting workshop will cover composting basics, what materials can be composted, types of composters and how to use compost. You can attend the workshop for free just to learn or pay $25 for the class and receive composting essentials - wire compost bin for leaves and grass, two small compost containers for kitchen waste and a compost turning tool. For more information, email cutway_hb@mercer.edu

Not only has the College Hill Corridor Commission and College Hill Alliance met most of their goals, they’ve exceeded many of them as well.

The College Hill Corridor Commission was formed as a partnership between Mercer and the city in 2007, developing a master plan to develop the corridor between the university and downtown.
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awarded $2 million in 2009 to create the College Hill Alliance to attract new businesses and residents to the area and help develop programming and projects for the neighborhood. The foundation also awarded $3 million to create the Knight Neighborhood Challenge, for which residents and groups can submit ideas to get funding to implement them.

Kathyrn Dennis, president of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, told the audience that her agency has awarded 68 Knight grants for more than $1 million.
Sarah Gerwig-Moore, co-chairwoman for the commission, said what has been accomplished in those four years has exceeded her wildest expectations . . . more

www.macon.com
October 26, 2011
By:  Phillip Ramati

It’s too late to ensure a spot for your pets for low-cost spaying and neutering this Saturday, but it’s not too late for pet owners and animal lovers to help the cause.

Animal rescue group Central Georgia CARES is sponsoring its fifth “spay day” from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Macon-Bibb County Fire Station 108, at 7100 Peake Road, behind the Kohl’s department store off Zebulon Road.

Appointments with veterinarian Lori Giles had to be made in advance, and all her time is booked up, said Patti Jones, chairwoman of CARES.

“We have 70 scheduled,” Jones said. “They go really, really fast.” . . . more

www.macon.com
October 20, 2011
By: Jim Gaines

One of the best ways to find the Macon-Bibb County animal shelter may be to follow a garbage truck. The shelter, with a 100-animal capacity, is at 1010 11th St., just past the truck scales at the entrance to the city landfill. “A lot of people say ‘Hey, I can barely find you,’” said Macon police Sgt. Robert Carr, the shelter’s interim director. When he and office clerk Wanda Hawks give directions, they’re blunt: “Last place before the dump.”

The 32-year-old building fits its location: cramped rooms, bare concrete floors, cobwebs hanging from rusty ceiling struts, and a pervasive animal smell that no amount of cleaning can scrub away.

“We’ve got to get a new facility,” Carr said. “We have done such a massive effort to keep this place clean.”

A new animal shelter for Macon and Bibb County is one of the projects that would be paid for with a special purpose local option sales tax that voters will consider Nov. 8. Officials have said $3 million of the $190 million tax would be dedicated to a new, updated shelter . . . more

www.macon.com
October 17, 2011
By: Jim Gaines

In the 30 years Main Street programs have been active in Georgia cities, state officials said those carrying that designation have seen $2.8 million reinvested and have netted 52,000 jobs and 11,000 new businesses. Thursday, Macon officially joined the program with hopes of seeing similar returns . . .more

www.macon.com
September. 23, 2011
By: Phillip Ramati

Roderick L. Cox of Macon was given his first musical instrument, a French horn, through what would become The Big “O” Youth Educational Dream Foundation.
“It was basically the start of my formal education in music,” said Cox, who graduated in June with a master’s degree in music with a concentration in conducting from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music . . . more

www.macon.com
September 11, 2011
By: Becky Purser

Nearly a year ago, the College Hill Alliance asked for $1 million to improve part of College Street near Tattnall Square Park in Macon. At the time, alliance Executive Director Pat Madison cautioned that the group probably wouldn’t get the full amount, which is the most that can be requested through the state’s Transportation Enhancement Grant program. But it did. A resolution to accept all $1 million is working its way through Macon City Council . . . more

www.macon.com
Sepetmber 9, 2011
By: Jim Gaines

John Valdes spent about a year trying to make a connection to Mercer University’s engineering school, sending letters about his solar energy business to various professors with limited success. Then, he met a Mercer student who put him on to a new partnership between the college and the College Hill Alliance called the KITE Alliance -- Knowledge Innovation Technology Entrepreneurship. It’s a strategic plan designed to find fledgling companies and act as an enabler for them by offering Mercer’s resources to companies that need them . . .more

www.macon.com
September 05, 2011
By: Phillip Ramati

The grand opening for the Lofts at Mercer Village in Macon will officially open Wednesday at 6:30 p.m and will take place in the lobby of the building at 1602 Montpelier Ave. The building offers 30 units for students, which includes 117 bedrooms.

The event also includes ribbon cuttings for three retailers in the building . . .  more

www.macon.com
August 23, 2011
By: Linda S. Morris

Officials on Tuesday will open the second phase of Macon NOW, a $2.5 million economic development campaign expected to create 4,000 new jobs during the next five years .The

The MEDC and the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce say the second phase will focus on four major strategies . . . more

www.macon.com
August 23, 2011
By:  Rodney Manley

During his first fall convocation as Macon State College’s sixth president, Jeffery Allbritten admitted to the faculty that after 21 days, his knowledge of the college “could fill a thimble.” But that doesn’t mean that Allbritten has been idle since coming to Macon from Edison State College’s Collier County Campus earlier this year . . . more

www.macon.com
August 9, 2011
By: Phillip Ramati

The Knight Neighborhood Challenge announced 13 new grant winners Thursday for projects designed to improve neighborhoods within the College Hill section of Macon.
Nearly $250,000 was awarded in the fourth round of grants, each of which must adhere to some aspect of the College Hill Corridor’s master plan . . . more

www.macon.com
July 22, 2011
By: Phillip Ramati

A rezoning application was approved Monday for a planned second phase of the Lofts at Mercer Village -- a mixed-use project including student housing, retail spaces, faculty offices and classroom space.

The 2.15 acres at 1658-1690 Coleman Ave., 1338-1370 Johnson Ave. and 1675-1653 Montpelier Ave. was rezoned from historic, commercial and multi-family residential districts to a planned development district by the Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission . . . more

www.macon.com
July 12, 2011
By: Linda S. Morris

A rezoning request would clear the way for the second phase of The Lofts at Mercer Village -- a four-story, 40,000-square-foot new building with apartments for students on the top three floors and retail, classroom and faculty office space on the bottom.

Mercer Lofts LLC will seek approval Monday from the Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission to rezone 2.15 acres in Huguenin Heights across from Phase 1 of The Lofts, which opened this year . . . more

www.macon.com
July 10, 2011
By: Linda S. Morris and Rodney Manley

What some are calling Macon’s most successful project in recent years began as an idea in a Mercer University classroom.

Four students -- Alex Morrison, Matt Wetherington, Kimberly Humphries and Veronica McClendon -- were taking an undergraduate class called “The Fate of the City” and attempted to come up with solutions to create jobs and a sense of place for Macon. Those were the humble beginnings of what is now the College Hill Alliance . . . more

www.macon.com
July 3, 2011
By: Phillip Ramati

More than 200 people, mostly youth from area churches and from other states, are expected to converge on Macon this week to work on 17 housing rehabilitation projects.

Seven churches of the Macon Baptist Association and five out-of-state churches partnered with Mission Serve, an organization based in Cumming that pairs churches with mission projects in the U.S. and overseas. Mission Serve partnered the Macon Baptist Association churches and out-of-state churches with Rebuilding Macon on the local project dubbed SPLASH Macon. SPLASH stands for Show People Love and Share Him . . .  more

www.macon.com
June 27, 2011
By: Beck Purser

This year, the winners were Philadelphia again, Detroit and Macon.

Macon’s government will be on the cutting edge of interactive technology thanks to a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Mayor Robert Reichert announced Thursday.

Macon has been chosen as one of only three cities to participate in the Code for America program this year. Three people with expertise in software development will be hired to work with city staff and analyze local needs, then develop online applications to make city government more accessible and interactive for residents . . . more

www.macon.com
June 24, 2011
By: Jim Gaines

NewTown Macon, Capricorn Recording Studios and Cox Capitol Theatre officially announced during a news conferences Wednesday their partnership aiming to bring big music acts to Macon. “The partnership is about making progress with Capricorn Recording Studios,” said David Thompson, vice chairman of NewTown’s board of directors.

NewTown bought the old Capricorn Recording Studios on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard earlier this year with funds from the Peyton Anderson Foundation to renovate the historic building . . . more

www.macon.com
June 25, 2011
By: Manu Bhandari  

In 1954, Macon educator Celia Moore attended a seminar in Nashville, Tenn., and visited a youth museum there. When she returned home, she decided that Macon should have a similar facility. After much cajoling throughout the community, Moore and Ann Felton were able to get enough support to set up a one-room Macon Youth Museum on College Street in 1956.

Fifty-five years later, what is now the Museum of Arts and Sciences has a much broader appeal and agenda, offering cultural exhibits in areas as wide ranging as fine arts, astronomy, earth sciences and the animal kingdom, said Suzanne Harper, the museum’s executive director . . . more

www.macon.com
June 19, 2011
By: Phillip Ramati

I plan to spend Father’s Day with my wonderful dad, Van VanDeWalker. He’s the greatest dad a dog could ever want. He and my mom, Tracie, literally saved my life when I was a tiny baby abandoned on the coldest night in 2009.

There are so many neat things about my dad that shows how much he cares about animals. He takes me to schools, day cares and a zillion community events so we can get the message out about being kind to animals.

He’s a surrogate dad to all my Pound Pals at Macon Animal Control, where he works really hard to provide comfort to all the animals who find themselves at 1010 11th St. He watches after my Pound Pals who may be really frightened or maybe not feel well. He takes a lot of time to console those who need reassurance.

He always goes the extra mile for any animal and will go to great lengths for an alligator. My dad is crazy about alligators . . . more

www.macon.com
June 18, 2011
By: AC Pup

Jim Gaudet has always loved baseball. As the second of four sons born to high school coaches in New Orleans, playing sports was a given. Earning a living as a professional athlete was a dream.

The Atlanta Braves came calling for Gaudet when the catcher was a third-round draft pick out of high school, but he opted for a baseball scholarship to Tulane University instead.
After his junior year in college, he signed with the Kansas City Royals. His professional baseball career was under way. He played for the Royals organization for five years, including two seasons in the major leagues.

The new computers dedicated Thursday at Wasshington Memorial Library were made possible by Bibb County’s government putting about $470,000 into the project while the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation put $500,000 into it. Guests can sit at new tables with their own power outlets, using their own computer or a laptop they check out from librarians. Another room has 40 desktop computers, where computer classes for community members will begin next month . . . more

www.macon.com
May 13, 2011
By: Mike Stucka

About 40 neighborhood residents attended a Thursday evening information session about updating the land use, zoning and design guidelines in the College Hill Corridor  . . . more

www.macon.com
May 6, 2011
By: Phillip Ramati

About 50 people, ranging in age from teenagers to older people walking with the aid of canes, meandered through the gravestones of the historic Rose Hill Cemetery following guide Jim Barfield.

For about an hour and a half, Barfield led the crowd past ornate monuments while telling stories about the people laid to rest on the cemetery’s terraces overlooking the Ocmulgee River . . . more

www.macon.com
May 2, 2011
By:  Amy Leigh Womack

“We can all embrace music, dance, the arts, and we can definitely embrace food,” said Anita Ponder, director of education and outreach for the Tubman African American Museum and the coordinator of the event. “Under the principles of love, peace, unity and hope, the festival . . . more

www.macon.com
April 24, 2011
By: Caryn Grant

Macon is returning to its roots and branching out for this year’s Earth Day celebrations.
Thirteen organizations are joining forces for a two-day focus on conservation and preservation of natural resources.

The festivities officially kick off at 1 p.m. Friday at the Ocmulgee National Monument with a tree giveaway and free tours of that local piece of earth that looks almost like it did to Macon’s earliest dwellers dating back thousands of years. The coalitions will host a gathering of local leaders who endorse the mission of Earth Day . . . more

www.macon.com
April 22, 2011
By: Liz Fabian

Georgia is set to eliminate all state money for domestic violence programs, replacing it with federal funds that some advocates say will limit the services shelters for battered women can provide . . . more

www.macon.com
April 4, 2011
By: Shannon McCaffrey

The Georgia Music Hall of Fame Authority voted 6-2 on Thursday morning to reject all four proposals from cities seeking to take over the museum’s operation. Minutes after rejecting all the bids, the authority voted 8-0 to accept a plan that would allow for the contingency of closing the museum but at the same time give Macon a chance to pay for the museum’s operations for another year . . . more

www.macon.com
April 1, 2011
By: Phillip Ramati

The Georgia Music Hall of Fame will stay in Macon for at least one more year.

The Georgia Music Hall of Fame Authority this morning voted to reject all four proposals from cities hoping to permanently host the hall . . . more

www.13wmaz.com
March 31, 2011
Breaking News

The leader of the College Hill Alliance outlined Wednesday what could be the group’s most ambitious initiative yet. Pat Madison has created a plan designed to work in tandem with Mercer University -- specifically the engineering and medical schools. . . more

www.macon.com
March 24, 2011
By: Phillip Ramati

How many times does the sight of a dilapidated building evoke the response, “I wish someone would fix that up”? Shae Hinson is that “someone.” “We didn’t knock on the door. We just did it,” Hinson said. “Cleaned it up and moved on.”

Although Hinson recently stepped down as director because he’s moving out of state, he plans to remain active and come back to support the work in his hometown. . . more

www.macon.com
Thursday, Mar. 17, 2011
By: Liz Fabian

Each day more than 700 youths flock to Boys & Girls Club locations throughout the area. It is that presence in the community that has helped the organization win recent national recognition for its dependability. The Boys & Girls Club of Central Georgia was one of just seven Boys & Girls Clubs across the country to be named a Maytag Dependable Club . . . more

www.macon.com
February 5, 2011
By: Caryn Grant

Each day more than 700 youths flock to Boys & Girls Club locations throughout the area. It is that presence in the community that has helped the organization win recent national recognition for its dependability. The Boys & Girls Club of Central Georgia was one of just seven Boys & Girls Clubs across the country to be named a Maytag Dependable Club . . . more

www.macon.com
February 5, 2011
By: Caryn Grant

The Community Foundation of Central Georgia announced Tuesday it has awarded $172,075 to be divided among 12 projects in the latest round of Knight Neighborhood Challenge Grants.The grants are awarded to people with ideas to improve life in the College Hill Corridor area of Macon as part of the corridor’s master plan . . . more

www.macon.com
February 02, 2011
By: Phillip Ramati

Gov. Sonny Perdue announced Thursday that Bibb County had become Work Ready certified, which may better help the region compete for new employers.  Debra Lyons, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development, said Bibb County may be the largest county in the state to get the certification, and Georgia has been the national leader. That gives Bibb County unusual prominence as the state begins international advertising campaigns to attract employers, she said.  “This is a really significant accomplishment given the size of the community,” Lyons said.  The countywide certification can attract industry by . . . more

December 10, 2010
www.macon.com
By: Mike Stucka

Every year since 1957, the Federated Garden Clubs has opened the historic Neel House to the public in grand style. “The Federated Garden Clubs bought the Neel House in 1957,” Groce said. “We bought it from the Neel children" . . . more

www.macon.com
December 2, 2010
By: Rachel Sullivan

AC Pup is most thankful for his parents, Van and Tracie VanDeWalker, who are the best parents anybody could have. They always make me feel safe, loved and very, very special. And they never complain about having to take me to the 10 million appearances I go to so I can promote animals or to schools to teach kids. If you ever have the chance to meet my parents, you’ll see why I feel so blessed . . . more

www.macon.com
November 20, 2010
By: AC Pup

Macon animal shelter has found a new home, nearly two months after state officials ordered that its former facility close . . . more

www.macon.com
November 20, 2010
By: Caryn Grant

Since Michael Bridge works as a radio operator at Robins Air Force Base, it might have seemed more convenient for him to keep his house in Warner Robins.

But Bridge wanted more things to do in his spare time, so he went house hunting last spring in Macon. When his real estate agent showed him a rehabilitated home on Maple Street in the city’s historic Beall’s Hill neighborhood, the two-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath house had everything Bridge wanted . . .  more

www.macon.com
November 15, 2010
By: Phillip Ramati

You may think you know Macon’s homeless — the transient, the mentally ill, the drug addicted. But you’d be wrong . . . more 

www.macon.com
November 14, 2010
By: Jim Gaines 

The Macon Film Festival, Cox Capitol Theatre, the Tubman African American Museum and a few other local cultural organizations and venues stand to gain from portions of a just-announced $77,000 Knight Foundation national arts grant. . . more 

www.macon.com
October 20, 2010
By: Joe E. Kovac, Jr. 
 

Bibb County is nearly ready to become Georgia’s largest state-certified Work Ready County, a designation that would bring big economic development benefits. Work Ready uses tests . . . more

www.macon.com
August 22, 2010
By: Mike Stucka

With its emphasis on revitalizing historic downtowns, the Main Street program would seem a good match for Macon.

It’s really built around your classic downtown historic districts and taking full advantage of that historic building stock and that heritage. . . more

www.macon.com
August 22, 2010
By: Rodney Manley

The Knight Foundation and The Community Foundation of Central Georgia announced Tuesday it will spend $203,900 to fund 19 projects designed to enhance life in the College Hill Corridor area . . . more

www.macon.com
July 28, 2010
By: Phillip Ramati

Joggers and walkers in Macon will have more space to stretch their legs by the end of summer; Ocmulgee Heritage Trail representatives announced construction will begin soon on two new extensions that will add six miles to the river trail, commonly known as Macon’s riverwalk . . . more

www.macon.com
June  24, 2010  
By: Tiffany Stevens

The Central Georgia chapter of the American Red Cross has tapped the current operations officer of the Macon-Bibb County Emergency Management Agency to lead its emergency services. LaTravius Smith, who served as acting EMA director following the retirement of Johnny Wingers, will soon oversee disaster and armed services operations for Red Cross in Macon, Warner Robins, Dublin and 22 surrounding counties . . . more

www.macon.com
June 16, 2010
By: Liz Fabian

Knight Foundation has pledged an additional $2.5 million to Macon to be doled out over the next seven years to foster projects proposed by nonprofit agencies in Middle Georgia to help Macon residents become more engaged . . . more

www.macon.com
June 8, 2010
By: Phillip Ramati

If Georgia is going to continue to develop economically, it’s going to need a better developed rail system. And a key part of that system will have to come through the midstate, to connect the seaport of Savannah with Atlanta, home to the world’s busiest airport . . . more

www.macon.com
May. 26, 2010
By: Phillip Ramati

At the South Macon Diner, where a banner welcomes patrons to come on in for “Home Cooking and Diabetic Meals,” oxtail and beer liver simmer in serving trays on the soul food line. The healthier stuff — chicken picatta, apple-cherry-glazed pork chops, basil pork and green beans — are cooked to order for sugar-conscious customers . . . more

www.macon.com
May. 16, 2010
By: Rodney Manley

At the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia’s annual Women of Distinction luncheon Thursday, which came complete with Thin Mints in the dessert dish, former Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox spoke of the leadership strides American women have made in the past century . . .  more

www.macon.com
May 14, 2010
By: Joe Kovac, Jr.

Sunday was a special Mother’s Day for Atlanta singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins.  Mullins, best known for his 1998 hit, “Lullaby,” ...more

www.macon.com
May 10, 2010
By: Dan Maley

The tidal wave of wind that thrashed trees, which in turn walloped rooftops and ceilings and fences and automobiles and bedrooms in south Macon on a fateful Mother’s Day morning two years back...more

www.macon.com
May 09, 2010
By: Joe Kovac, Jr.

Things are looking good in the College Hill area, a set of historic neighborhoods around the Mercer University campus in Macon. In fact, the news is so good, College Hill Alliance officials are taking on new responsibilities to . . . more

www.macon.com
May 6, 2010
By Chris Horne

Five years and about two weeks ago, Elaine and David Lucas buried their son Al.  But Wednesday night, they and about 100 friends and family celebrated Al’s life with the annual ceremony and reception to help selected Bibb County public high school students further their education, courtesy of the Al Lucas Memorial Scholarship.  “Al would be so happy,” Elaine Lucas said after the ceremony at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. “He really would.”  Al Lucas died on April 10, 2005, after suffering a spine injury during an Arena Football game in Los Angeles. His parents, brother Lenny and wife De’Shonda soon formed the scholarship fund, which has grown in donations and supporters.  The ceremony’s program listed . . . more

www.macon.com
April 29, 2010
By: Michael A. Lough

I won’t pretend to be an economist. I don’t expect to be reincarnated as an investment banker or financial adviser.  I know more about how to figure a pitching staff’s ERA than a country’s GNP.  Mark Twain once urged us to write what we know about. So I have to tread softly when I begin dispensing advice about how and where to spend money.  But here it goes.  While traveling a few months ago, I had lunch at a small, independently owned delicatessen. I noticed a sign on a baker’s rack that said: “The 3/50 Project.”  I had no idea what it was. I was about to find out.  The 3/50 Project has only been in existence for 14 months. It’s a grass-roots effort to . . . more

www.macon.com
May 3, 2010
By: Ed Grisamore

Thousands of books, as well as historical documents and more were lost when the Twiggs County Library went up in flames Sunday.  Investigators still were combing through the ruins Monday and looking for a cause for the fire, but one thing was clear: The consequences of losing the 25-year-old structure and its contents will affect plenty of lives in the county . . . more

www.macon.com
April 28, 2010
By: Phillip Ramati

 . . . “This is so cool!” McCandless said.  The 18-year-old Kathleen resident always wanted to visit Paris, and now she had a bedroom that could take her there in spirit. There was a mural of the Eiffel Tower on one wall, photos of the Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame Cathedral on another and Parisian post cards on display. All the furniture in the room was new, with the exception of a table and two chairs.  It was all the work of a group of five Girl Scouts from Macon, who gave McCandless a gift inspired by . . . more

www.macon.com
April 26, 2010
By: Dan Maley

My first memories of the Macon Terminal Station were riding with my family to take my older brother, Rusty, to meet his seventh-grade classmates for their school trip aboard the Nancy Hanks II as they made their way to our nation’s capital.  Unfortunately, I never had the chance to ride “The Nancy” since passenger rail excursions to and from Macon ended April 30, 1971.  Not only did Central of Georgia Railway passenger train service fade in the ’70s, so did major downtown retail outlets and their customers. The stores made the transition to the new regional mall on Eisenhower Parkway.  Today, 39-years later, positive changes are being made in downtown Macon and there’s an increasing interest in providing rail service to a new generation.  If you haven’t noticed, Macon is leading the state in . . . more

www.macon.com
April 25, 2010
By: Kenny Burgamy

Vickey Parker wasn’t going to let a little rain spoil her visit to Macon. Before a small crowd huddled under the Gospel Tent at Tattnall Square Park on Saturday, Parker sang out.  “All I want you to do is open up the floodgates of heaven and let it rain,” she sang. The weather was in perfect harmony.  Parker was one of about 50 members of the St. Galilee Baptist Church of Sandersville who rode a chartered bus to Macon to take part in the Weekend in the Park, part of the Tubman African American Museum’s annual Pan African Festival.  After 13 years at Central City Park, the Weekend in the Park moved to Tattnall Square Park this year. Steady rain in the early afternoon dampened the debut.  By late afternoon, the sun emerged and . . . more

www.macon.com
April 25, 2010
By: Dan Maley

For fans of the Allman Brothers Band, the big day has arrived. Not only is tonight’s sold-out concert drawing near, but the grand opening of The Big House Museum comes this afternoon.  With enthusiasts coming in from Britain, Germany, Mexico, Japan and Canada, among other locales, Brian Cavanaugh said Thursday that his trip to Macon from Amherst, Mass., might seem like nothing more than a jaunt. Still, the trip is important to him, since he has finally made it to Macon for the first time after being a fan of the band for more than 20 years.  “You have people coming from all over the world,” he said. “It shows the diversity of their fans and just how powerful their music is.”  Paul Fallert came to Macon from South Lyon, Mich. He has spent several days . . . more

www.macon.com
April 23, 2010
By: Phillip Ramati

For the 17th year, Hay House is hosting its annual tour of homes and gardens. Recently named one of the top 20 events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society, the event consists of three separate tours through various locales in Macon.  “This year we are featuring homes in north Macon for the garden tour,” said Katey Brown, director of the Hay House. “We choose different areas every year and we think people will really enjoy wandering through some of the beautiful estates there.  “There are many wonderful secret and hidden . . . more

www.macon.com
April 22, 2010
By: Rachel Sullivan

It’s funny how the years seem to run together.  When Gregg Allman was told Wednesday that Friday night’s Allman Brothers Band concert would be the group’s first show in Macon in almost 19 years, the singer couldn’t believe it.  “Has it been that long?” he asked. “We tried to get it booked (last year) for the 40th anniversary (of the band’s founding). I told them to book Macon, or at least somewhere in Georgia, but they didn’t do it. I’m so glad we are doing (Friday’s show). It’ll be good.”  Friday’s sold-out show at the Macon City Auditorium marks the first time the band will play together here since . . . more

www.macon.com
April 22, 2010
By: Phillip Ramati

MILLEDGEVILLE — As the green ribbon was cut during Campus Theatre’s grand opening ceremony Tuesday, many fascinated Georgia College & State University students, teachers, administrators and local residents attended to finally satisfy their curious minds.  Anne Rohr traveled from Atlanta to showcase her juggling skills outside the theater’s entrance while comedy duo Laurel and Hardy impersonators greeted anticipators as they entered the movie palace. Visitors also . . . more

www.unionrecorder.com
April 21, 2010
By: Vaishali Patel

Debra Rollins is never quite sure who is going to call her Rebuilding Macon office on a rainy Tuesday afternoon.  But she knows who won’t.  “The reason they are not going to call is because we’ve already fixed their roof,” she said. “It isn’t leaking any more.”  From roofs to foundations, handrails to kitchen cabinets, the proof is in the putting.  This is National Volunteer Week. On Thursday, about 350 youths from the Future Farmers of America state convention in Macon will join local high school students from . . . more

www.macon.com
April 21, 2010
By: Ed Grisamore

Georgia’s budgetary dance favored the sports and music halls of fame Tuesday, with the Senate restoring most of their funding.  The $1 million or so subsidy that the Macon museums depend on had been cut out by the House, which gets the first crack at the annual budget after the governor makes his recommendations. But the Senate restored $412,329 for the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and $486,208 for the Georgia Music Hall of Fame when it passed its version of the budget through committee Tuesday.  That budget is expected to . . . more

www.macon.com
April 21, 2010
By: Travis Fain

Niya Hicks visits Tattnall Square Park just about every weekend, but on Saturday she got a little more out of her outing than fresh air and relaxation.  She learned how to save energy and money.  Hicks saw a collection of tents and tables set up in the park near Coleman Avenue and she took her 4-year-old daughter, Ari Taylor, with her to investigate. It was the PIC Green Field Day, sponsored by Historic Macon Foundation. Hicks got a few handy tips from the experts she met there.  “I’m not going to . . . more

www.macon.com
April 18, 2010
By: Dan Maley

One of the first people Eric O’Dell consulted when the Museum of Arts and Sciences decided to host an exhibit by Japanese sculptor Jun Kaneko was a structural engineer.  One might logically ask, “What does a structural engineer have to do with a sculpture exhibition?”  Well, when some of the pieces to be displayed weigh well over half a ton, it makes for a logical step to make certain the floor of the museum can actually support the art.  Good news for the museum and for Middle Georgia sculpture fans — the floor checked out, said O’Dell, curator of the museum’s exhibit.  “(Kaneko) is big-time important,” O’Dell said. “He’s like the (Bruce) Springsteen of ceramics. If you look at the . . . more

www.macon.com
April 18, 2010
By: Phillip Ramati

Members of the Douglass Theatre Jazz Society want people to know jazz is alive and well in Middle Georgia.  That’s evidenced by Sunday’s jazz social at the Douglass Theatre. The event will include a jam session by a few of Macon’s top jazz artists, trivia games, good eats and the camaraderie of other music lovers.  But the social gathering is not only a way for jazz lovers to appreciate America’s original art form, it is also a way to bring attention . . . more

www.macon.com
April 17, 2010
By Ramona C. Sanders

The Bibb County school system presented Ryan Logan, the American Red Cross emergency services director, with the “Be There Award” on Thursday.  Since July 1, Logan has responded to 107 incidents in Bibb County, ranging from fires to other emergencies, which helped assist 188 Bibb students.  “We were able to provide victims with spare uniforms” and get. . . more

www.macon.com
April 16, 2010
By: Julie Hubbard

The Bibb County school board planned to list the old Miller High School for girls as surplus property Thursday, but the board pulled the item from its agenda.  Gary Bechtel, school board president, said in recent times there has been a lot of community interest from different foundations wanting the . . . more

www.macon.com
April 16, 2010
By: Julie Hubbard

For Macon resident Darrell Bryant, losing health-care coverage may have been a blessing in disguise.  During the time he qualified for coverage through his job at KFC, the 42-year-old Bryant was seeking treatment from a wound care center for an ulcer on his leg. But the wound wasn’t healing, and he was slowly sinking into debt to the tune of nearly $1,300 to cover his co-payments.  After Bryant lost his job and no longer had health coverage, he turned to First Choice Primary Care. The private, nonprofit community health-center not only provided treatment that resulted in a healed ulcer, the center charged him considerably less: from a $500 co-pay for visits at the wound care center to a . . . more

www.macon.com
April 16, 2010
By: Ramona C. Sanders

After a session full of tough setbacks for the Georgia sports and music halls of fame, local legislators pulled off a big victory Wednesday evening, getting approval to raise Macon and Bibb’s hotel-motel tax to help fund the halls.  It had been an uphill battle, with only a parliamentary maneuver in the state Senate earlier this week keeping hope alive for the measure. But a key opponent turned proponent Wednesday, and the penny tax increase sailed through the House of Representatives, 127-18.  It was tacked to a measure that would allow . . . more

www.macon.com
April 15, 2010
By: Travis Fain

Fort Valley State University is among 62 historically black colleges and universities across Georgia and the nation that are competing for grant funds for Home Depot’s Retool Your School campus improvement program. Online voting is open at www.homedepot.com/retoolyourschool until May 15.  The contest will yield one $50,000 grant recipient, and 10 other schools will receive grants of . . . more

www.macon.com
April 12, 2010
Education Notebook

At the start of Sunday’s Rose Hill Ramble cemetery tour, Candace Oakley met visitors at the cemetery gate with a photo album.  The album contained before-and-after photos of some of the historic stone monuments in the city-owned cemetery. The before photos showed the work of vandals — monuments that had been toppled, broken, or plundered for sculptures. The after photos showed the work of specialists who restored the same monuments with funds from the Historic Rose Hill Cemetery Foundation.  Oakley’s late brother, Allman Brothers Band bass player Berry Oakley, is one of the more famous people buried at Rose Hill. As secretary of the Historic Rose Hill Cemetery Foundation, Oakley is dedicated to . . . more

www.macon.com
April 12, 2010
By: Dan Maley

Bob Thompson pointed to a spot on one side of the Ocmulgee River, where his father worked as a manager at the old Sears-Roebuck store downtown.  Thompson then pointed to the other side of the river where the Wilson Convention Center, named for his father-in-law, still sits.  So it’s rather appropriate that Thompson, a law professor in Washington, D.C., would choose a spot right on the river to create a new program that. . . more

www.macon.com
April 9, 2010
By: Phillip Ramati

Macon resident Jim Coleman has been named the new executive director of the Macon Arts Alliance, effective May 1.  Coleman, who is retired from Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, brings decades of experience in professional and volunteer activities with several nonprofit arts and civic organizations in Macon, according to a release from the alliance.  “After 22 years in the financial services industry, I’m excited about the opportunity to combine . . . more

www.macon.com
April 9, 2010
From staff reports

The downtown area is about to become a lot more bike-friendly. Tuesday night, the Macon City Council approved a resolution to paint special markings for cyclists on the roads from Mercer University to downtown.  The project would be funded by the College Hill Alliance, a public-private partnership between the city and Mercer.  Advocates say the markings — called “sharrows,” from a combination . . . more
                                                                                                                                    

www.macon.com                                                         
April 7, 2010
By: Chris Horne

Bibb County’s government is hoping it can take over the state’s ailing sports and music halls of fame.  In informal talks Tuesday, county commissioners unanimously agreed to let Commission Chairman Sam Hart begin negotiating for the buildings, which could involve a swap of sales tax money for operating funds.  Hart said the county could spend special purpose local option sales tax money to buy the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame for . . . more

www.macon.com
April 7, 2010
By: Mike Stucka

To get passenger rail service from Macon to Atlanta, advocates say the Macon community will need to raise $500,000 for a study.  The Peyton Anderson Foundation pledged $250,000 on Wednesday and issued a challenge to the Macon community to come up with the remaining $250,000 in the next 90 days.  The money goes to . . . more

www.macon.com
April 1, 2010
By: Chris Horne

Teens across Middle Georgia are helping save lives.  The Red Cross has sponsored several blood drives at local high schools this semester. March 4, Central High School hosted a blood drive in its auditorium and donated more than 45 pints to the Red Cross. Stratford Academy held a blood drive March 11.  At Central, students rotated from the registration desk, to the waiting line, to the check-in line, to the chair.  Volunteers from the school helped . . . more

www.macon.com
March 30, 2010
By: Katy Newcomer

Maybe it was a pink jinx.  At the Cherry Blossom Festival Grand Finale at Wesleyan College on Sunday evening, Karen Lambert said her first festival as executive director was “wonderful” in part because “we had to cancel nothing due to weather.”  A half hour later, rain started pouring down, clearing the north campus lawn of hundreds of picnicking families. The rain abated briefly, allowing organizers to shoot off fireworks ahead of schedule . . . more

www.macon.com
March 29, 2010
By: Dan Maley

ATLANTA — A push to move the state’s sports and music halls of fame out of Macon — or at least get locals to fully fund them — is running strong at the Georgia Capitol today.  An amendment passed the state Senate moments ago calling on the state to actively seek “proposals for a new location (for the halls) or alternative ownership, management and operation at the same location.”  The intent is to let . . . more

www.macon.com
March 26, 2010
By: Travis Fain

It’s nail-biting time. Members of the Georgia General Assembly are looking in every nook and cranny for quarters — anything to fill the gaping hole in the budget — and they are taking aim again on two institutions, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in Macon.  Both museums are on life support already. The state barely gives enough money to keep the doors open. Lawmakers have wanted . . . more

www.macon.com
March 24, 2010
By: Charles E. Richardson

NewTown Macon is calling on residents to e-mail Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle to encourage the state to continue funding the Georgia sports and music halls of fame.  NewTown Director of Place Kris Hattaway said the downtown booster organization is working on a plan with other community leaders to help the halls be self-sufficient in three years if the state continues funding.  The organization fears state money for the halls will be cut before the Macon community has a chance to develop a self-sufficiency plan. That, Hattaway said, would be “devastating” to downtown Macon and would have a negative impact on the Tubman African American Museum, the Douglass Theatre and the Children’s Museum.   NewTown asks resident to e-mail Cagle at casey.cagle@ltgov.ga.gov to say the state’s support is critical to the halls’ path to independence.

www.macon.com
March 23, 2010
Staff Report

Near-perfect weather made for a big crowd and wide smiles at Cherry Blossom Festival events Saturday.  The second day of the festival began at 7:30 a.m. with the traditional Pink Pancake Breakfast under the big white food tent at Central City Park.  Macon-Bibb County firefighters cooked hundreds of pancakes on rotating gas-fired griddles, as they have done at cherry blossom time since the 1980s.  Fire Chief Marvin Riggins said the recipe calls for about 1,000 pounds of flour and 500 eggs. The department also grills up about 800 pounds . . . more

www.macon.com
March 21, 2010
By: Dan Maley

The second annual Soap Box Derby will take place April 11 on Magnolia Street hill, following the Second Sunday brunch and concert at Washington Park in downtown Macon.  There’s no entry fee for the derby. Prizes will be awarded for “Fastest Car” and “People’s Choice,” and all participants will receive a free T-shirt.  For more information on the derby’s rules and to download an entry form, visit www.collegehillmacon.com. The deadline for entries is April 5.

www.macon.com
March 20, 2010
By: Phillip Ramati

. . . during the past few months I have come to appreciate Macon for all it has to offer, even for those in high school.  Give Macon, especially downtown, a second chance. I know I have. This town has so much to offer, and I feel like so many people overlook it because they’ve never really given it a chance.  I’ve spent many Friday and Saturday nights walking around downtown and . . . more

www.macon.com
March 16, 2010
By: Tarver Bechtel

Councilman Ed DeFore pleaded Monday with the Macon City Council’s Appropriations Committee to fund the completion of a bathroom at the Miracle League Field at West Macon Park.  The Miracle League was established for handicapped children to participate in sports locally instead of having to drive to Conyers, which has the next closest league.  The original ordinance requested . . . more

www.macon.com
March 16, 2010
By: Chris Horne

. . . There was a relatively large canine population at the concert — it seemed that no one left their dogs at home. All were on leashes.  Small children, on the other hand, ran free. Some kids played in the artificial stream that flows through the park, which is shaped like an amphitheater.  Other children busied themselves by making mosaics at the art activity table. This was another new addition to the Second Sunday Brunch experience, made possible by a Knight Neighborhood Challenge grant.  Six-year-old Arthur Kallay made a . . . more

www.macon.com
March 15, 2010
By Dan Maley

 . . . “Sometimes you just want to get out and see something real,” said Elizabeth Hartmann, an 18-year-old freshman from Miami University.  Hartmann enlisted for Miami University’s Alternative Spring Break program. She and her classmates are here at the invitation of Rebuilding Macon, a nonprofit organization geared toward . . . more

www.macon.com
March 13, 2010
By: Thomas L. Day

A program at the Mary Vinson Memorial Library is aiming to get children reading and keep them as regular library visitors by providing a one-on-one opportunity for children to read with an adult.  Known candidly as “We Read on Wednesdays,” the program is held every Wednesday from 3 to 5 p.m. and encourages children to come to the library on a regular basis . . . more

www.unionrecorder.com
March 11, 2010
By Jessica Luton

Given the chance to dream out loud, the few dozen residents who came Monday to the Cox Capitol Theatre had no problem sharing their vision for the redevelopment of downtown Macon: an entertainment district, more college students, more jobs, more greenspace, more retail shopping, more police and more housing opportunities.  The ideas couldn’t stop pouring out.  The city put together the forum in conjunction with . . . more

www.macon.com
March 9, 2010
By Chris Horne

Bring a bike store to Mercer Village and it’s only natural that a bike race should go with it.  As a crowd of about 50 people celebrated the official opening of The Bike Store, organizers also announced the first Macon Cycling Classic, scheduled for May 1 at Tattnall Square Park.  “This is a real big deal for us,” said Bill Causey, one of the organizers of the race. “We want Macon to have more and more of these kinds of things.”  In addition to the bike race, organizers of Bragg Jam’s Moonlight Miles 5K race have pushed the event up to the same day as the cycling race. Moonlight Miles is one of Bragg Jam’s big . . . more

www.macon.com
March 5, 2010
By Phillip Ramati

The Women’s Film Festival at the Douglass Theatre drew only 20 or so people Sunday afternoon, but that might be expected on a day when the eyes of most film lovers were on the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood.  Those who did come to the Douglass were enthusiastic about the five short films on the program.  Juanita Johnson-Bailey, director of the Institute of Women’s Studies at the University of Georgia, was particularly interested in . . . more

www.macon.com
March 8, 2010
By: Dan Maley 
 

In a large room with chipped tables and stuttering fluorescent lights, high school students gathered Thursday at The Booker T. Washington Center of Excellence and discussed what distracts them from their goals. “Some friends try to bring you down to their level,” one teenage girl observed, and others nodded.  Participants, who are part of a Workforce Development career training program, received pointers from Mercer University students on skills such as time management and dressing for an interview. ”You want to surround yourself with people who have the same kind of goals as you,” one Mercer student told the students, whose . . . more

www.macon.com
March 8, 2010
By:  S. Heather Duncan

Wilfred Stroud stood behind a podium at the Tubman African American Museum and talked about the mural he painted, “From Africa to America.”  The mural covered the entire wall behind him and then some. It told the story, starting at the far left, of how Africans came to North America and what they accomplished once they got here.  Stroud, 79, began the project at the Walnut Street museum in the late 1980s. He finished the eighth panel, dominated by . . . more

www.macon.com
February 22, 2010
By Dan Maley

Students with the Mercer University chapter of Habitat for Humanity, along with the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, will host a faculty and staff luncheon at 12:15 p.m. Tuesday at the Mercer Religious Life Center to raise awareness and funds for Habitat for Humanity.  Mercer’s Habitat for Humanity chapter has been working closely with Macon Habitat for Humanity since the early 1990s, said Harold Tessendorf, Macon Habitat executive director, by . . . more

www.macon.com
February 22, 2010
By Andrea Castillo

Comedian Oliver Hardy once worked as the projectionist there.  And the infamous Marion Stembridge murders, which served as the inspiration for the book and movie “Paris Trout,” took place there.  Now, the Campus Theatre in Milledgeville is getting new life after being rehabilitated by Georgia College & State University, which will move its theater department into the restored art deco-style building in late April.  The Campus Theatre has a rich history, said Mark Bowen, Georgia College’s project manager. Inside, there will be a new . . . more

www.macon.com
February 22, 2010
By Phillip Ramati

Eight-year-old Regan Oliver went to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday and left a few autographs richer.  The signatures were provided by Suzanne Yoculan, retired University of Georgia gymnastics coach and one of 35 hall of fame inductees who had gathered at the downtown museum for the annual FanFest . . . more

www.macon.com
February 21, 2010
By Dan Maley

The Career Women’s Network of Macon will hold a luncheon to honor its Women of Achievement 2010.  The luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. March 2 and will be held in the ballroom of the Professional Sciences Building at Macon State College, according to a news release.  This year’s honorees are . . . more

www.macon.com
February 19, 2010
By Linda S. Morris

Since July, Goodwill of Middle Georgia has put 955 people into competitive employment, almost twice as many as the same period a year ago.  Last month alone, Goodwill found jobs for 144 midstate residents. “One hundred and forty-four people who were unemployed went to work because the community donated to Goodwill, shopped at Goodwill and supported Goodwill,” said President and CEO Jim Stiff.  Now, Macon-area residents will have more places to give. Stiff announced Thursday that . . . more

www.macon.com
February 19, 2010
By Rodney Manley

Macon is home to so many buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, you'd need 77 hours to visit each for just one minute -- driving and gazing time not included.  "We have nearly 5,000 structures in all 11 historic districts" on the National Register, said Josh Rogers, executive director of the Historic Macon Foundation. "And another 5,000 are eligible."  To help you avoid rushing from address to address, I suggest two less-frantic approaches to . . . more

www.washingtonpost.com
February 11, 2010
By Andrea Sachs
 

. . . In the almost 32 years I have lived in Macon, I haven’t missed many of these sales, dating back to when it was held at Westgate Mall.  I appreciate volunteers like Karl. For every hour of this week’s sale (10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday), it took 125 volunteer hours to make it happen. That’s typically more than 4,000 volunteer hours every year, most of it spent in Washington Memorial Library.  John Matthews, president of the Friends of the Library, provided me with some interesting facts about the sale.  There will be more than 150,000 books, ranging in price from 50 cents to $1,000. These books collectively weigh more than . . . more

www.macon.com
February 17, 2010
By: Ed Grismore

. . .  McBrayer, the Emmy-nominated star of the NBC sitcom “30 Rock,” is one of the major guests highlighting the fifth annual festival, which kicks off Thursday in downtown Macon. This is the first time he is attending any film festival.  The opening event at Cox Capitol Theatre celebrates the life and career of two-time Oscar winner Melvyn Douglas with his granddaughter, actress Illeana Douglas, who has appeared in movies such as “Cape Fear,” “Goodfellas” and . . . more

www.macon.com
February 17, 2010
By: Phillip Ramati

For 19 months, registered nurse Vickey Vaughan bought books for all her obstetric patients at the Medical Center of Central Georgia, giving them out during home visits. Now her efforts to fight Georgia's low literacy rate ties in to the Ferst Foundation - and books go to every child born there.  Longtime friend Lynda Brutz suggested Vaughan make contact with the Ferst Foundation of Bibb County. Other nurses got on board. Director of nursing Dawn Cole, also of Lamar County, got . . . more

www.barnesville.com
February 9, 2010
By Sherri Ellington

The College Hill Alliance announced that this weekend’s Second Sunday concert on Valentine’s Day will move indoors at the Armory Ballroom, 484 First St., because of expected cold temperatures.  Mark Brooker will be performing at the concert, which runs from noon-2 p.m. and is free to the public.  In addition to the concert, there also will be a free screening of “Dirty Dancing” on Sunday night from 6-9 p.m. at the ballroom, which will be followed by live music from Mark Brooker and the Soul Proprietors.

www.macon.com
February 10, 2010
By Phillip Ramati

On Friday January 29th, Ms. Mack warmly welcomed Community Foundation Board Members and Staff for a tour of the Activity Center and to hear firsthand about the good work that they are doing for the children and families they serve. To Ms. Mack’s surprise, this visit was not solely about taking a tour and learning about the Center’s work, but to . . . more

www.barnesville.com
Friday, February 5. 2010
Posted by:  Walter Geiger

Much like Macon, the community of Tallahassee, Fla., received a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to launch a series of initiatives designed to improve life in the area.  But Tallahassee has taken a different approach than Macon in how it is using its grant. Leaders in Tallahassee launched the Knight Creative Community Institute to oversee those initiatives.  A Macon delegation traveled to Tallahassee last week to get some ideas and see how those initiatives are doing.  “It’s getting a different perspective of the . . . more 

www.macon.com
February 7, 2010
By Phillip Ramati

As J.C. Watts toured the new Campus Clubs educational facility Monday on Vineville Avenue, the former congressman stopped in a classroom devoted to algebra and joked how the subject still makes him nervous.  But if the $1.2-million facility is as effective as organizers intend, few others will share that kind of unease.  Watts toured the new facility as a guest of Tony Lowden, the executive director of Campus Clubs, who showed off classroom after classroom devoted. . . more

www.macon.com
January 26, 2010
By Phillip Ramati

“If you cannot feed 100 people, then feed just one.”  June O’Neal does not need to read those words from Mother Teresa out loud or repeat them to herself as a reminder.  She knows them by the beat of her heart. The voice is planted in her head.  She has another favorite from Mother Teresa: “We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”  In the 25 years I have known June O’Neal, I have watched her spread enough love through this city to inspire a thousand sermons.  I have admired how she. . . more

www.macon.com
January 22, 2010
By: Ed Grisamore

Actress Illeana Douglas, a former Emmy nominee who starred in such movies as “To Die For,” “Goodfellas” and “Message In a Bottle,” will kick off the fifth annual Macon Film Festival with a special screening of her Web-based film series, “Easy To Assemble,” on Feb. 19 at the Cox Capitol Theatre.  Douglas is the granddaughter of Academy Award winner . . . more

www.macon.com
January 20, 2010
By: Phillip Ramati

I read Ed Corson’s column regarding Macon Little Theatre with interest. I believe he makes a very important point. I would like to submit, however, that to choose one thread of Macon’s rich arts and cultural fabric for special consideration is to miss a larger picture.  Macon is unique among communities its size because we do have such a large, vital, exciting arts community, offering a range of high quality entertainment, enlightenment and education.  One of the reasons . . . more

www.macon.com
Viewpoints for January 13, 2010
By Jim Crisp

January is National Mentoring Month and a time when Big Brothers Big Sisters celebrates its volunteers. Coming off one of the most challenging fundraising years ever, we also want to pay tribute to our donors, the often unsung heroes whose funding makes possible the professional match support and structure that allow us to make and help. . . more

www.macon.com
January 13, 2010
By  Dianna L. Glymph

< < Click HERE to donate to Big Brothers Big Sisters > > 

Community foundations in Macon and Milledgeville will help distribute a combined $3.5 million during the next seven years as part of a $70 million nationwide grant announced Thursday by the Knight Foundation.  The Knight Foundation serves more than two dozen U.S. cities where brothers John and James Knight owned newspapers.  “We are very blessed. It’s a very proactive grant from the foundation. They are doubling their investment in community foundations,” said Kathryn Dennis, president of the Community Foundation . . . more

www.macon.com
January 8, 2010
By Joe Kovac, Jr.

There was no Macon Symphony Orchestra; no Middle Georgia Civic Chorale; no Theatre Macon. No Centreplex. The Grand was a rundown movie house.  Except for college-kid productions, this city boy’s idea of high-end entertainment was missing. The Civic Club musical then was a black-face minstrel show.  That community theater on Forsyth Road? I read mentions of the Macon Little Theatre but the . . . more

www.macon.com
January 8, 2010
By Ed Corson

. . . concerned citizens are taking steps toward removing dilapidated houses, cleaning up blighted areas, planning for growth and implementing those plans through community projects such as the Shalom Zone training currently going on, community cleanups and increased neighborhood watch groups such as the one former Macon Police Captain Carolyn Glover helped start in Lynmore Estates.  These people and others are “paying attention” to our community. . . more

www.macon.com
By: Phyllis Dorn
Special to The Telegraph
 

 . . . Johnson said he attributes the rise in adoptions to a number of factors.  He said the shelter has been pleased with the work of A.C., its mascot. A.C., short for Animal Control, was rescued from a house on Ormond Terrace in February.  With the help of nonprofit Central Georgia Cares, the affectionate pit bull-American bulldog mix has gained local . . . more

Click HERE to contribute online to the nonprofit Central Georgia C.A.R.E.S.

www.macon.com
December 28, 2009
By Amy Leigh Womack

 . . . “I think it’s all about helping as many people as possible.”  Walton, 39, who teaches a Tae Kwan Do class at the Wellness Center, indicated the lines of people waiting for food and clothes.  “If I was on the other side of that, I’d want someone to help me,” he said. “That could be my mother, my grandmother, my daughter or my son who is down on their luck. All it takes is one person who might be able to help them, who might be able to . . . more

www.macon.com
December 26, 2009
By Phillip Ramati

With demand for food, clothing and toys rising during the holiday season, many Middle Georgia charities seem to have just enough supply to meet the need.  “We’ve been able to meet demands from the agencies we serve,” Middle Georgia Food Bank director Ronald Raleigh said. “With the local food drives, we have just barely enough. We’re not getting a surplus, but we don’t have a deficit either. ... Our demand is up . . . more

www.macon.com
December 24, 2009
By Phillip Ramati

Lynn Haddock is legally blind, so she couldn’t identify every gift brought through her door Tuesday afternoon.  But she could tell there were a lot of them under the Christmas tree.  “I’ve never seen so many presents in my life,’’ she said.  Members of the staff at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Heart of Georgia took the gifts to her home in the Lake Wildwood neighborhood. All of them were wrapped for the four grandchildren Haddock is helping raise on a limited income. . . more 

www.macon.com
December 23, 2009
By Ed Grisamore

Three of Porsha Brown’s children are hoping to find bikes and games waiting for them on Christmas morning.  But her youngest, a 4-year-old son, has a special request.  “He wants anything Spiderman,” she said, chuckling. “He thinks he’s Spiderman.”  Brown and her 16-year-old daughter stood in line Monday morning with hundreds of parents hoping to make Christmas morning a little brighter for their children.  With temperatures hovering just above freezing, Salvation Army volunteers passed out bags of . . . more

www.macon.com
December 22, 2009
By Amy Leigh Womack

First lady Michelle Obama is asking Americans who plan to donate to the Marines' Toys for Tots program but haven't yet to choose gifts for 11- to 14-year-olds, an age group for whom she said there was a dearth of gifts this year.  She learned of the shortage Wednesday when she visited Marine Corps Base Quantico's distribution center, in donated warehouse space about a 45-minute drive from the White House. She'd come to drop off about . . . more

Click HERE for more information on the Macon Chapter of Toys for Tots 

www.macon.com
December 17, 2009
By Margaret Talev

Two $10,000 grants have been awarded to help fund the restoration of The Sallie Ellis Davis House.  The Community Foundation of Central Georgia presented the two grants in October.  “As the antebellum Capital of Georgia, Milledgeville has a rich and vibrant historic district bustling with old homes and educational museums,” said Kathryn H. Dennis, president of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia. “Georgia College & State University is currently conducting a campaign to raise $25,000 to begin the stabilization of the historic Sallie Ellis Davis House.  Once completed, the house will become . . . more

Sunday school classrooms at a Macon church filled up with math, science and robotics equipment Monday. After all, the church soon will become the site for a new after-school program for 500 Bibb County students.  Campus Clubs recently received an $871,000 grant to start an after-school program at Strong Tower Fellowship Church in late January.  The program for . . . more

www.macon.com
December 15, 2009
By Julie Hubbard

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation can fund a variety of projects to improve communities, but it’s up to the communities themselves to create ideas to better themselves.  That was the message Friday that Knight Foundation President and CEO Alberto Ibargüen delivered to more than 100 elected officials and community leaders at a luncheon at Macon’s Armory Ballroom, where recipients of Knight Neighborhood Challenge Grants were recognized.  The foundation has invested about $35 million into Macon since 1969, Ibargüen said, including $5 million this year.  “The Knight Foundation believes in informed, engaged communities,” Ibargüen told the audience. “It’s really what we do, who we are.” . . . more

A fifth-grade Springdale Elementary student, Ashton Haver, and her teacher, Michelle Gowan, have organized a Locks For Love drive, to be held Friday at 2 p.m. at the school’s lunch room.  Lisa Felty of Changes Salon will cut and collect the volunteers’ hair, which is used to make wigs for medical patients who have lost their hair. The goal of “Ashton’s Challenge” is to collect 100 inches of hair.  The public is invited to attend and participate. For more information or to volunteer, e-mail mgowan.springdaleEL@bibb.k12.ga.us.

www.macon.com
December 10, 2009
By Phillip Ramati

The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame will offer patrons $1 off a regular-priced admission with the donation of a canned food item beginning today.  The food drive will run through Dec. 23. Visitors must donate at least one nonperishable item per person for the discount, good for one visit. The food will be donated to military families in need. The museum will close Dec. 24 for the holidays and reopen Jan. 2.

www.macon.com
December 10, 2009
By Phillip Ramati

The Career Women’s Network of Macon Inc. has awarded three scholarships to local students.  The students are: Suie Huang, a mathematics major at Macon State College; Cherry Roberts, early childhood education, Georgia College & State University; Shelia Gray, criminal justice, Mercer University.  Career Women’s Network Scholarship Fund and the Walters Family Scholarship Fund were established to provide college scholarships to nontraditional female students 25 years or older. Applicants must be enrolled or accepted to an accredited college, university or technical institution and must maintain a minimum 2.5 grade point average.   

www.macon.com
December 7, 2009
Faces and Places

Whoever came up with the name of the Fly South Fest had the gift of prophesy. That’s because Saturday, the culminating day of the inaugural version of the outdoor event, brought the kind of low temperatures that make birds think of migrating a little closer to the equator.  Fly South was actually two festivals. The first was a barbecue contest held in the parking lot of Luther Williams Field in Central City Park. Teams began cooking Friday, with barbecue judging, an artisans’ market, live entertainment and . . . more

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December 6, 2009
By Dan Maley

The Reindeer Gang is an annual Telegraph feature that identifies individuals and families with needs during the holidays.  The following is a review of those who have been profiled over the past 10 days.  Please make donations directly to the sponsoring organization listed at the end of each profile.

Mac and Pennie Juhan are helping raise their two grandchildren. She is medically disabled. Mac, who has had five heart attacks, works at a carwash a few blocks from their home on Houston Road. The couple has been unable to . . . more

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December 6, 2009
By: Ed Grisamore

A $10 million mixed-used development featuring retail space and loft-style apartments is planned on Mercer University’s campus in Macon.  Two Macon-based companies, Sierra Development and Piedmont Construction Group, will build the four-story, 55,000-square-foot building called The Lofts at Mercer Village as part of the College Hill Corridor . . . more

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December 5, 2009
By Linda S. Morris

When Kirk and Kirsten West decided to move out of their Vineville Avenue home in 2003, the notion of turning it into a museum certainly wasn't on their radar.  Sure, thousands of visitors from places as far away as Germany, Italy, Japan and Australia had knocked on their door during the decade they had lived there, trying to get a glimpse of what was known as The Big House, where members of the Allman Brothers Band lived in the early 1970s.  It was only after Kirk West, the band's road manager, was meeting with . . . more

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December 10, 2009
By Phillip Ramati

Susie Gilbert can’t get around like she used to, so getting a grocery sack with a cooked ham, canned yams and walnuts inside will come in handy for Thanksgiving.  About 30 senior citizens, including Gilbert, were handed a bag of groceries Tuesday at the Macon-Bibb County Senior Center. Many of the men and women who frequent the center are on fixed incomes and need the help.  “It’s a great gift,” the 72-year-old Gilbert said, pulling out a cupcake with smudged icing. “When I get home, I’ll spread it all out on the table.”  The center’s manager, Renee Johnson, said that with the hard times, everyone’s budget is running thin, especially at the center, where they’ve had to cut back on transportation and . . . more

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November 25, 2009
By Julie Hubbard and Mike Stucka

The first round of grants have been decided in the College Hill Corridor section of Macon, and they’ll fund a diverse series of programs from zoning regulation overhauls and Sunday brunches to new tree plantings and compost education programs.  They grants also will help Mercer University start up a bicycle rental program — one of several grant-funded programs geared toward getting people . . . more

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November 24, 2009
By Travis Fain

The first grants have been decided in the College Hill Corridor section of Macon, and they’ll fund a diverse series of programs, from zoning regulation overhauls and Sunday brunches to organic gardening and compost education programs.  The grants . . . more

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Monday, November 23, 2009
Travis Fain

Trustees of the Peyton Anderson Foundation have approved a $250,000 grant for Macon’s Cherry Blossom Festival to help evaluate the festival’s programs and operations.  The grant will help provide resources to assess how the festival’s program and operations can be made “more effective in the years ahead,” according to a statement from the festival.  The grant will provide the festival a chance to . . . more

www.macon.com
Tuesday, Nov 17, 2009
Staff reports
 

The Crossroads Writers Conference will be holding a silent and live auction tonight at the Cox Capitol Theatre, 382 Second St., which will support the conference and benefit the Mentor's Project of Bibb County.  The silent auction will go from 7-8:30 p.m., with the live auction following. There will be live music by Demolution and the Macon Guitar Quintet, and a 50-50 raffle at the door.  Tickets are $5. Proceeds from the Crossroads Writers Conference will help establish the Creative Ruckus Academy, an after-school arts education initiative that pairs at-risk youth with professional artists in the community.  The Crossroads Writers Conference will take place Feb. 25-27, 2010.

www.macon.com
November 12, 2009

Macon Regional CrimeStoppers was again the most productive CrimeStoppers unit in the Southeast. CrimeStoppers helped authorities make 399 arrests in 2008, most in the Southeast.  The unit is on pace for 450 arrests in 2009, said Sgt. Zac Self, the CrimeStoppers spokesman.  Macon Regional CrimeStoppers has led the Southeast in arrests every year since 2003. At the annual luncheon Monday, CrimeStoppers also gave a special recognition to Monroe County Sheriff John Cary Bittick for his years of service.

www.macon.com
November 10, 2009
By: Phillip Ramati

The Museum of Arts and Sciences is showing a new exhibit by artist William Segal. Many visitors came to the Macon museum for the recent opening, the farthest from Brazil, said Curator of Exhibitions Eric O’dell.  At the opening, the museum was at capacity. About 250 people showed up to hear Ken Burns, documentary filmmaker and close friend of Segal, and see the new art installation. Burns gave a presentation for all attendees, who later waited in long lines for him to sign books.  “For his friend, for our hard work, he’d do anything we asked,” O’dell said.  Segal’s work was planned to show until Jan. 4, but now it is expected to stay through . . . more

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November 10, 2009
By Katy Newcomer

Of the four historic sites in Middle Georgia that were named to the Places In Peril list, Central State Hospital in Milledgeville may be the most significant.  The list, published each year by the Georgia Trust For Historic Preservation, focuses on 10 places of historical significance in the state that are most in need of preservation and restoration.  Established in 1842, the hospital was the state’s first psychiatric facility. It once was the largest mental hospital in America and the second-largest in the world.  At one point, the hospital covered 1,000 acres and was home to . . . more

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November 9, 2009
By: Phillip Ramati

Ah, Sunday in the park, sitting on the ground and poking around in the dirt with your bare hands.  It may not sound like a pleasant time for a grown woman, but Kimberly Barnhart was enjoying herself as she toiled Sunday in the name of archaeology at Amerson Water Works Park.  “This is the chance of a lifetime, to come out here and be Indiana Jones for a while,” Barnhart said. She had come with her 8-year-old son, Max, her 10-year-old daughter, Megan, and her husband, Keith, to help NewTown Macon look for . . . more

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November 9, 2009
By: Dan Maley

. . . “Emergency rooms all over the country are deluged with people seeking primary care,” said hospital CEO Kay Floyd.  “They don’t have anywhere else to go,” said Greg Dent, CEO and president of Community Health Works, an area nonprofit.  In Monroe County, they do now.  Last month, the hospital opened a new clinic, Monroe Primary Care, to provide a new . . . more

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November 8, 2008
By Rodney Manley
 

The Museum of Aviation celebrated its 25th birthday Friday night during an evening dinner and ceremony.  Many people who attended the event were responsible for building the museum from a collection of artifacts to the five-hangar compound it is today.  “It’s always been community-based,” said Peggy Young, the museum director during its first decade and a half of operations. “The people who work on the base would . . . more

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November 7, 2009
By Thomas L. Day

When an orange-and-white tour bus will roll into Macon next week, a sentence posted on its side in bold letters will no doubt catch more than a few glances.  “Need help paying for medicine?” the words say, leading a reader’s eye to a giant pill bottle labeled “Help Is Here.”  The bus, touring as part of a national campaign called the Partnership for Prescription assistance, will visit the Macon Volunteer Clinic on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. . . . more 

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November 6, 2009
By Joe Kovac Jr.

The 24-foot refrigerated truck rolled into the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank on Thursday afternoon, still, as one food bank board member put it, with “that new car smell.”  The $85,000 Freightliner is one of 35 new trucks donated to food banks across the country by the Walmart Foundation.  Ronald Raleigh, executive director of the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank, said he will add the truck to the food bank’s existing fleet of four as soon as possible.  “It will enable us to pick up another. . . more

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November 6, 2009
By Rodney Manley
 

For the first time, tonight’s Otis Redding tribute, called “An Evening of Respect,” will be held outside of Macon.  It makes for a bit of an adjustment for the late soul singer’s daughter, Karla Redding-Andrews, as the event sets to kick off at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta.  “We’ve done it the first three times in Macon, but it’s gotten. . . more

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November 5, 2009
By Phillip Ramati

Four Middle Georgia historic properties made the Georgia Trust For Historic Preservation’s 10 Places In Peril list released Wednesday.  The building that was once the home to the Capricorn Records recording studio on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is among the 10, as are the old Dodge County jail in Eastman, the Ritz Theatre in Thomaston and Central State Hospital in Milledgeville.  The list is designed to raise awareness across the state for properties deemed to have historic value but that have fallen into disrepair.  The trust wants to . . . more 

www.macon.com
November 5, 2009
By Phillip Ramati