Who wants to be the next mayor of Macon, plus more big stories you may have missed
Missed the big stories last week? Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.
No jail time for less than an ounce of marijuana in Macon
Macon-Bibb County Commissioners adopted an ordinance last week that eliminates jail time for misdemeanor marijuana possession.
Residents found in possession of less than one ounce of weed could be fined $75.
Commission Al Tillman, who first proposed the ordinance, told the Telegraph after its passage that Macon is 10th municipality in Georgia to adopt a law reducing the penalty for misdemeanor marijuana possession.
Who is running for mayor in 2021?
There’s a growing list of candidates looking to replace the term-limited Macon Mayor Robert Reichert in 2021. The following people have all filed paperwork that allows them to raise money for the mayoral election.
- County Commissioner Larry Schlesinger
- Bibb County school board President Lester Miller
- Verbin Weaver, officer with Macon-Bibb County Democratic Party
- Chatavia Callaway, entrepreneur
Former Macon Mayor C. Jack Ellis said he’ll decide whether or not to run in July. County Commissioner Virgil Watkins said he plans to run. County Commissioner Elaine Lucas is doing some informal polling and still mulling a mayoral bid. Stanley Stewart, a former educator at Northeast High School, will make a formal announcement by early June
The election will be held in May 2020.
More roundabouts coming to Middle Georgia
More roundabouts are coming to Middle Georgia.
The intersection of Ga. 247, Broadway and Houston Avenue in south Bibb County will become the first multi-lane roundabout in the area, said Tyler Peek, district traffic engineer for the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Additional roundabouts being designed or planned in Bibb County are:
- Forest Hill Road at Wimbish Road
- Eisenhower Parkway at Fulton Mill Road
- Eisenhower Parkway at Knoxville Road
- College Station Drive and Romeiser Road
- Forsyth Street at Pine and Spring streets
Westside standout chooses Dad’s alma mater
Westside wideout Sheddrick “Scooter” Risper Jr. had scholarship offers from 31 different schools — both athletic and academic — totaling more than $320,000.
When it came time to make a decision, he chose to go to his dad’s alma mater, the University of West Georgia.
His father, Spoon, Westside’s head coach, played for the Macon Knights, a former arena football team.
Scooter told the Telegraph that one day he might like to be on his father’s coaching staff.
“The long term for me is to major in physical education and come back and possibly coach with my father here and just give back to the community,” he said. “As a child, I spent an ample amount of time with him (Spoon). Everything he did I tried to imitate it. So that bond that we have is very close.”