MACON, Ga. — If you’re reading this, you made it to the end of 2020! I think I speak for us all when I say this year has been incredibly challenging.
It’s been full of so much tragedy, a seemingly never-ending election cycle, a record-breaking hurricane season, and a pandemic the scale many of us have never experienced in our lifetime.
As we get ready to close out the first year of the 2020s, we’re looking back at the 10 biggest stories in Central Georgia based on search traffic, social media interactions, and website analytics.
Tina Hicks had a nearly 30-year run on 13WMAZ and was the first African-American anchor at the station. If you ask anyone who grew up watching the station, she’ll likely be one of the first people that comes to mind. She didn’t always plan on becoming an anchor, but her voice caught the attention of the state’s general manager at the time and the rest is history!
An entire class of Georgia State Patrol troopers were dismissed amid an exam cheating scandal. The then-Georgia Department of Public Safety Commissioner alleged they all cheated on an online exam for the speed detection component of their curriculum. It led to an audit of the training department, a temporary pause on radar speed testing cars, and a lot of questions about what would happen to the tickets written by the troopers as the investigation was ongoing.
Born as Richard Wayne Penniman on Dec. 5, 1932, he grew up in a house in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood in Macon. He died in May at his Nashville home leading many in Central Georgia to re-discover and in some cases learn about his music for the first time. Richard's impact on rock-and-roll is undeniable as he inspired other legendary musicians like Bob Seger, Michael Jackson and Otis Redding. His memory lives on in Macon at his old home, which is now a resource center for those in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood.
As the pandemic continues, many people across the country have found themselves in dire financial straits leading to not one but now two rounds of stimulus checks. Giving millions of people money is no small feat (after all, the IRS reported some $1.4B in checks were sent to deceased individuals) so plenty of people in Central Georgia had questions about the timing and amount, which you regularly texted to us at 478-752-1309 so we could get them answered for you. We'll be here for all of your questions about the incoming second round too.
Dozens of stories about the spread and impact of the novel coronavirus on Central Georgia appeared when we sat down to write our list, but we rolled all of them together into one entry. For the last year, we have diligently covered developments in the pandemic with the goal of keeping people safe and healthy. We have tracked case counts, highlighted frontline workers as they battle the virus on a daily basis, told the stories of those we've lost, tried to uplift and inspire with stories of resilience from survivors, and covered medical breakthroughs with the development of the vaccines.
Kobe Bryant's death in a Calabasas, California, helicopter crash while on his way to a basketball game at the Mamba Sports Academy sent a shockwave through the entire world. Bryant, indisputably one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among the nine people killed in the crash. Every sport found a unique way to pay tribute to the victims, politicians and celebrities reeled over the loss on social media, the NBA All-Star game was officially renamed in his honor, and many people from all walks of life felt the effects from his death.
The tragic story of Gwinnett County school teacher and mother Sarah Jackson broke the hearts of people around the state. Jackson took her four daughters to a lake on Labor Day when her youngest waded in too deep and went underwater. Jackson went in to save her, but took on too much water and didn't survive after people nearby pulled the two out. Jackson was remembered by her best friend as a supermom who inspired and protected those around her.
Described by one of the GBI agents over the case as one of the 'worst we've ever seen,' every single element of the Kaitlyn Yozviak is tragic. Yozviak is the Wilkinson County 12-year-old who died while in her parents' custody from what the GBI called "excessive physical pain due to medical negligence.” Her parents are charged with her murder, and the case raised serious questions from viewers once 13WMAZ dug deeper into DFCS records. In one story in our continuous coverage, we spoke to the couple who originally planned to adopt Yozviak. The day after her birth, her mother said she felt obligated to keep the child and the couple did not get to adopt her. They say they have grieved the loss of her twice now between the failed adoption and her passing.
Back in March, there was a lot we didn't know or yet understand about the coronavirus. Nearly 50 employees at the Perdue plant in Kathleen walked off the job after some workers on the production line were in contact with people who later tested positive for COVID, and the story went national. They demanded hazard pay and enhanced sanitizing procedures. You can read Perdue's statement in response to those demands here.
Anitra Gunn will never be forgotten. This story, much like the Yozviak case, is one of the stories that shakes the community to the core.
Gunn, 23, was a senior Fort Valley State University student that was reported missing by her father on Valentine's Day. Her body was found four days later in Crawford County after a tireless search by investigators, her friends and family.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation ultimately ruled her death as a homicide and her boyfriend, Demarcus Little, was charged with her murder via manual strangulation.
Just days before her death, her tires were slashed and a brick thrown through her window. She told investigators she didn't have problems with anybody, but investigators said Little is also responsible for that.
Little's friend, Jaivon Abron, is also charged with lying to investigators and picking up Little after he abandoned Gunn's car in her neighbor's yard with a missing bumper.
Gunn is remembered by her friends, family and coworkers as a loving sister and teammate.
You can watch all of our coverage here:
MORE ON THE GUNN CASE