10 stories to watch in 2017 in Middle Georgia

Editor’s note: As we look ahead at the new year, here’s a sampling of what Telegraph reporters will be keeping their eyes on in 2017.

Death penalty trial for accused cop killer expected to start

Christopher Keith Calmer, the man accused of shooting and killing Monroe County sheriff’s deputy Michael Norris and wounding deputy Jeff Wilson in September 2014, is expected to stand trial in June. If convicted, Calmer could face the death penalty.

During pretrial testimony in May, gripping accounts of the moments after Norris’ death emerged. Calmer, 49, who has since been deemed competent to stand trial, was living with his parents near Bolingbroke in 2014. The evening of Sept. 13, deputies were dispatched there on a call about a suicidal man. That man, it turned out, was Calmer. He had a gun.

Witnesses said in the immediate wake of the gun battle that claimed Norris’ life, Calmer lay yelling and screaming in a driveway, all but begging anyone within earshot to kill him.

“Shoot me. Put me out of my misery. I can’t stand the pain any longer,” a firefighter recalled Calmer saying.

Jury selection in the case is set for early June, with jurors from Upson County. The trial will be in Forsyth.

— Joe Kovac

$20 million loft project slated for completion

Construction of the Lofts at Navicent, which began in early 2016, is expected to be completed by spring.

The $20 million project, which includes an 88,000-square-foot building at 781 Spring St. at Rose Park, is being built for Navicent Health. It will include dining and retail facilities and a leasing office on the first floor and medical offices and a fitness center for hospital employees on the second floor. The remaining three floors would have 60 one- and two-bedroom apartments. The units will range from 800 to 1,000 square feet.

The hospital expects employees, physicians, hospital residents, interns and students in health-related fields will occupy the 60 loft units. The retail portion on the first floor would include shops and restaurants open to the public.

The development includes a parking deck for 100 vehicles, and a pedestrian bridge will connect to the Yellow parking deck which connects by an existing pedestrian bridge over Spring Street to the main hospital.

The Lofts at Navicent was developed by Sierra Development Group and is being built by Piedmont Construction, both based in Macon.

— Linda S. Morris

Last of Wings Cafe shooting defendants expected to go to trial

The trial for the remaining three men charged in the Dec. 12, 2014, fatal Wings Cafe shootout likely will begin in 2017.

The trial, most recently set for August 2016, was postponed after the lead case detective was seriously injured in a traffic crash.

Ten men were charged after the alleged gang-fueled shootout at the Bloomfield Drive night club that resulted in three deaths.

All but 40-year-old Vertuice Wall, 31-year-old Kenyata Norreece Lester and 31-year-old Tavarus Antwone Coney have pleaded guilty, accepting plea bargains with prosecutors.

Wall, Lester and Coney are charged with murder and could face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted at trial.

— Amy Leigh Womack

Macon’s third charter school to open in August

Macon’s third charter school is expected to open this fall. DREAM Academy’s charter petition was approved by the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia in August 2016. Led by the Otis Redding Foundation, the school will blend music, art and academics.

DREAM Academy will begin as a school for kindergarten through sixth grade and add an additional grade each year until it reaches 12th. It will have a statewide attendance zone since founders applied directly through the state commission.

Cirrus Academy and Academy for Classical Education are the county’s other two charter schools.

— Andrea Honaker

Houston voters to decide sales tax

On March 21 Houston County voters will go to the polls to decide whether to extend the special purpose local option sales tax.

If it is approved it would bring an indoor swimming facility, widen roads and purchase emergency response vehicles. The biggest item is $10 million for a new State Court building, which would have a far-reaching impact. The current State Court building would be occupied by the tax commissioner’s office and the sheriff’s department, which county officials say are badly in need of additional space.

In addition to the swim facility, the tax also invests more in recreation than any previous sales tax.

— Wayne Crenshaw

Macon-Bibb SPLOST decisions on horizon

In late January, the Macon-Bibb County Commission is expected to prioritize the order of projects that will be paid for with special purpose local option sales tax revenue.

The SPLOST discussion will be twofold: how to handle a projected shortfall with the current $190 million SPLOST and what projects will be first in line for the upcoming $280 million tax.

Collections for the next SPLOST won’t start rolling in until 2018, but with commissioners able to take out tens of millions of dollars worth of bonds, Macon-Bibb will be able to start work on a new round of projects in 2017.

The SPLOST is divided up into 10 categories, among which include stormwater, recreation and cultural arts facilities, roads, landfill, and blight.

— Stanley Dunlap

Georgia watches new guard in Washington, D.C.

In 2017, Georgia leaders will start to learn what they can expect in spending and regulations from President-elect Donald Trump and the new Republican majority in Congress.

Georgia watches Washington in part because of the billions of federal dollars that pass through the state budget annually for things like education and public works.

Trump has promised big spending on infrastructure and the military. If those spends unfold as pledged, Georgia could see road and bridge work and more missions for its bases.

Georgia leaders are paying attention to talk of repealing the Affordable Care Act. Obamacare has not been popular among Georgia Republicans, but it has helped make health insurance for poor Georgians a political issue that might not go away.

— Maggie Lee

Bibb sheriff investigations to move to annex building

After months of delays, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office is expected to finally move investigation divisions into the old Sears store at the corner of Third Street and Riverside Drive.

Central Records for the office has already moved from its location at the Macon-Bibb County Government Center.

More than 100 workers will be relocating to the 83,000-square-foot building.

The Bibb County Commission purchased the property for $500,000 in 2013 and budgeted $2.7 million for the renovation.

Contractors discovered a leaky roof and asbestos that had to be removed, which delayed completion of the project and added another $1.2 million to the cost.

By the middle of 2017, the sheriff’s office plans to have investigators all under the same roof as they work violent crimes, drug and gang cases, traffic, and civil process.

— Liz Fabian

Waiting for ID of body found in Bibb

The body of a woman was found badly decomposed in a vacant lot off Feagin Road on May 12 by someone who was checking for illegal dumping. An autopsy by the GBI on May 18 determined the woman, who is likely biracial or black, had been shot in the head at least once.

Her body was sent to the FBI for further analysis.

— Laura Corley

Bulldogs look to get back on track and other sports stories

Year two with Kirby: Kirby Smart’s first season with Georgia finished with a 7-5 record entering the bowl game. Smart will look to get the Bulldogs back on track in his second season.

Mercer baseball stadium/facilities: Mercer’s new OrthoGeorgia Park should be ready for the 2017 season.

High school standouts: Continued look at Middle Georgia’s top athletes throughout the school year.

— Daniel Shirley

This story was originally published December 30, 2016 at 5:00 PM with the headline "10 stories to watch in 2017 in Middle Georgia."