SPARTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A biofuel company is breathing life back into Sparta.

Duckweed USA considers Sparta’s waste water treatment plant a gold mine. The company’s CEO, Michael Rigolizzo, fell in love with the city during a business trip about three years ago. He wants to renovate the treatment facility and use the duckweed at the plant to create biofuel. He’s also going to give some of the profit back to the city.

“When you come into Hancock it says ‘Hancock: The hidden jewel of Georgia,'” said longtime Sparta resident Velma Hunt.

The county’s residents and the city’s mayor know how special the city is, but now Duckweed USA knows it as well.

“Finally, I’m looking at my future to be very secure,” explained Hunt.

Hancock County is commonly known as one of the poorest in the state.

“All of our factory jobs [went] off shore, [the] furniture factory closing, the wood yards closing. This brings hope,” said Sparta Mayor William Evans Jr.

Duckweed USA will use the city’s waste water treatment plant to create biofuel. Rigolizzo plans to invest $4 million and give the city one third of its profits.

“I made a promise to the mayor and it’s taken me almost three years to fulfill it, but that was that I wouldn’t take any money from the city. We would get this done without taking money away from a city that needed help,” said Rigolizzo.

Residents are calling Duckweed USA’s project a blessing.

“I look forward to the next two or three years seeing Sparta 360, flip. The opportunity for my children to be able to do something bioeconomic, I think is just wonderful,” said Hunt.

It’s a chance for a struggling to regain its footing. All thanks to a little green plant.

Duckweed USA plans to create 8-12 jobs in the beginning phase, 50 jobs by the end of 2016 and about 250 within the next five years. The company is open to partnering with Middle Georgia schools and colleges to provide more opportunities for students.

The post Biofuel company to invest $4 million into Sparta appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Here’s a look at Middle Georgia’s teams in the GHSA basketball quarterfinals:

BOYS
AAA at Augusta University
Central (27-2) vs. South Atlanta (24-6) Thursday at 4:45

AA at Georgia College and State University
Dublin (25-4) vs. Monticello (20-10) Thursday at 8:15
Crawford County (24-3) vs. Holy Innocents Episcopal (20-9) Friday at 8

A Public at Valdosta State
Treutlen (25-3) vs. Hawkinsville (17-9) Thursday at 4:45
Wilkinson County (23-6) vs. Lincoln County (17-7) Thursday at 8:15
Hancock Central (22-6) vs. Taylor County (21-7) Friday at 8:15

A Private at Kennesaw State
Tattnall Square (18-9) vs. Greenforest (27-2) Thursday at 4:45
Stratford (20-5) vs. North Cobb Christian (23-4) Thursday at 8:15

GIRLS
AAAA at Fort Valley State
Veterans (25-4) vs. Carrollton (25-5) Thursday at 3

AAA at Augusta University
Peach County (25-2) vs. Johnson (24-6) Thursday at 3

A Public at Valdosta State
Telfair County (18-9) vs. Turner County (28-0) Thursday at 3
Treutlen (17-8) vs. Wheeler County (20-) Thursday at 6:30
Taylor County (26-2) vs. Greenville (19-8) Friday at 3

A Private at Kennesaw State
Tattnall Square (25-2) vs. Greenforest (25-0) Friday at 3

The post GHSA basketball quarterfinal matchups appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Here are the scores from the GHSA’s quarterfinal matchups involving middle Georgia teams:

BOYS
AAA at Augusta University
South Atlanta 92, Central-Macon 79

AA at Georgia College and State University
Monticello 79, Dublin 67
Crawford County (24-3) vs. Holy Innocents Episcopal (20-9) Friday at 8

A Public at Valdosta State
Treutlen 62, Hawkinsville 55
Wilkinson County 78, Lincoln County 39 (Warriors meet Treutlen in semifinals Saturday)
Hancock Central (22-6) vs. Taylor County (21-7) Friday at 8:15

A Private at Kennesaw State
Greenforest 78, Tattnall Square 48
Stratford 67, North Cobb Christian 57 (Eagles meet Greenforest in semifinals Saturday)

GIRLS
AAAA at Fort Valley State
Veterans 54, Carrollton 48 (Lady Warhawks meet Wayne County in semifinals Saturday)

AAA at Augusta University
Johnson 46, Peach County 43

A Public at Valdosta State
Turner County 56, Telfair County 42
Wheeler County 53, Treutlen 50 (Lady Bulldogs face Turner County in semifinals Saturday)
Taylor County (26-2) vs. Greenville (19-8) Friday at 3

A Private at Kennesaw State
Tattnall Square (25-2) vs. Greenforest (25-0) Friday at 3

The post GHSA basketball quarterfinal scores appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – In a battle between two middle Georgia teams, Wilkinson County’s boys beat Hancock Central Thursday in the GHSA Class A Public championship game, 55-42.

In front of a nearly sold out crowd at the Macon Coliseum, the Warriors trailed by one point after the first quarter but took a five-point lead into halftime and didn’t trail again.

It’s Wilkinson County’s eighth basketball title.

Americus-Sumter girls beats Veteran for AAAA title

Americus-Sumter never trailed in its game against Veterans, beating the Warhawks 56-38 for the AAAA title.

The Lady Panthers jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and led 32-17 at halftime.

The post Wilkinson County boys win A Public title, Veterans girls fall in AAAA final appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

SPARTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Deputies with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office are looking for a missing man.

According to a news release, 25-year-old Ajani Toure Michaels was last seen Sunday, May 15. Michaels moved to an unknown address in Bibb County. He may be driving a white 2016 Hyundai Elantra, tag number PYU1634.

If you know anything call Investigator Ricky Brown at 706-444-1213 or 706-433-1265.

The post Hancock County authorities search for missing man appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Most of Friday’s high school football games are still on for now, but we do have a few cancellations and postponements to let you know about.

Dublin’s game at Wilkinson County has been rescheduled to Saturday at 7 p.m. Macon County will now visit Irwin County on Monday at 4 p.m.

East Laurens will visit Montgomery County at noon on Saturday.

In the GISA, Westfield’s game against Bulloch (in Statesboro) has been canceled with no plans to reschedule. Trinity-Dublin at First Presbyterian Christian Academy (Hinesville) has also been canceled.

Around 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Bibb County Schools posted a Tweet saying its games will be played Friday, unless the forecast changes.

“At this time, there are no plans to close school Friday or reschedule football games,” the Tweet read. “We’ll notify by phone/social media if anything changes.”

Bleckley County Schools posted a similar Tweet around 3 p.m.

“Both school and football are still on for tomorrow,” it read. “Nat’l Weather Svc in Peachtree City predicts <2″ rain by noon tomorrow. Next update 7 p.m.”

Stay tuned to 41NBC’s school closings postings and keep an eye on the weather with updates from the 41FirstAlert Weather team.

Week 3 of The End Zone airs Friday on 41NBC at 11:15 p.m. Join Bill Shanks and Tucker Sargent for high school football highlights from around Middle Georgia, including our Game of the Week: Eagle’s Landing at Houston County at the brand new Freedom Field.

The post High school football games affected by Hermine appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Georgia has a bit of a pest problem. The emerald ash borer was first spotted in northern Georgia in 2013.

“Beetles feed on ash trees and the ‘grub’ live underneath the bark, so we aren’t usually able to see them,” said GCSU professor Nathan Lord.

Ash trees are a popular hardwood used to make items from furniture to Louisville Slugger baseball bats.

“Ash is a very important hardwood for commercial products,” said Lord.

Research student Payton Burris added, “Drums, guitars, like all those, they use ash to build those type things.”

Now the bug has moved further south, just miles away from forests in Monroe, Putnam, Hancock, Bibb, Jones and Baldwin counties.

“When people move firewood or lumber, often times, we are inadvertently moving these beetles farther than they’d be able to go on their own just by flying.”

Burris says once a tree is infested, there’s not much you can do. Now, the small jewel bugs may be giving lumberers in the state a big problem.

“I think it could impact the lumber industry in a sense that there’s now one less tree to use for making a lot of these products that are made out of ash,” Lord said. “It’s definitely cutting into the ability to use that particular genus of tree for their products,” he continued.

But how can a bug no larger than a grain of rice be responsible for destroying millions of trees? Lord says the lack of natural predators here in Georgia are to blame.

“The reason that these emerald ash borers are doing so well in the United States, is because the ash trees are a different species than their natural habitat.”

But Lord says their working on a plan to regulate the bug’s rapid population growth and hopefully save ash trees in Georgia–using another type of insect.

“There’s actually a special species of wasps that naturally target emerald ash borers for food,” he added.

Burris is one of the research students designated to be “wasp watchers”. She says by releasing the wasps in large numbers, they hope nature will take its course and drastically slow down the spread of these beetles.

The emerald ash borer has been spotted in 30 states across the nation since its discovery in Detroit in 2002. Lord says if the bugs continue to multiply at this rate, the ash species of trees in Georgia will very soon die out.

The post GCSU leading research in Georgia’s growing pest problem appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

SPARTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The state board of education has scheduled a suspension hearing for the Hancock County Board of Education on May 4th.

The hearing will determine if the board will recommend the removal of the board of education to the governor.

the state board sent 41NBC a summary of the district’s progress on eight priorities from October 2015 to September of 2016.

The accreditation company AdvancED made its assessment and found eight ways the district needed to improve.

Of the eight, the district met three adequately and only partially met two.

AdvancED deemed the remaining three as not met.

However, Superintendent Dr. Charles Culver responded to the report, says “…The Hancock County School District has implemented remarkable and positive changes in its governance structure with an updated and publicly available policy manual, a set of guidelines for board members and the superintendent to work more effectively together,  a new strategic plan, meetings which run more smoothly and avoid the appearance of dissension and chaos…”

The hearing will be Thursday, May 4th.

The post Hancock County Board of Education faces suspension hearing appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

SPARTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A man is dead after his mobile home caught fire in Hancock County Sunday.

21-year-old Natavious Watson was killed in the blaze, which completely destroyed the home at 2120 Hay Barn Lane in Sparta.

State fire investigators say the fire started around 5:30 a.m. by accident in the kitchen. The home did not have a working smoke alarm.

The post Sparta man killed in mobile home fire appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

SPARTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)  – You can’t spell SpARTa without the word ‘art’. That’s why local artists say they want to change the perception of Sparta, Georgia and do it in a way that’s never been done before.

“I’ve been painting since I was about two or three,” said local artist Brittany Morrison.

She says for her, art imitates life.

“I’m really about nature so everything I do has something to do with outside.”

So Sparta–a small town known as the Hidden Jewel of Georgia–was the perfect canvas.

“Moving to the country is how I’ve been able to paint a lot more, because I can see birds and trees and sunsets, so I have lots of inspiration,” she added.

But the peaceful countryside isn’t the only thing hidden in Sparta.

“We feel like there is undiscovered talent here, people simply express themselves in all of these very creative and artistic ways,” said festival organizer Jeanette Waddell

Waddell says she’s been painting this picture in her mind for nearly a decade.

“So here we are today with nearly 30 artists, most from Hancock County, who will share their talents with not only Hancock County community but people all over Georgia.”

It’s been a lot on her palette, but she hopes it’ll create economic opportunity in the small town.

“We want our economy to be self sustaining, we want to see local people as entrepreneurs. Georgia is number two or three in the creative economy and we want to share in that,” she said.

With a few dabs of a brush stroke, ‘There’s Art in Sparta’ will highlight the town’s undiscovered talent.

Organizers say they’re expecting a pretty big turn out of at least 1,000 people to come and enjoy the exhibition. They’ll have several different art forms displayed.

The post Sparta to highlight town’s hidden talent in first ever art festival appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

HANCOCK COUNTY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Hancock county schools is now ‘overall improving’ after nearly 3 year ‘under review’ by AdvancEd.

Superintendent Dr. Charles R. Culver was notified earlier this month by the accreditation org that they ‘made the grade’ meeting 3 of the 5 improvement priorities they were given.

The school district’s troubles maintaining accreditation stem all the way back to 2015.

Some of the improvement priorities involve documentation, updating district policies and board policies. The last two improvement priorities will be judged during the upcoming school year.

The post Hancock County Schools to keep accreditation after AdvancED review appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Autopsy results confirm a Sparta man shot and killed a woman, then turned the gun on himself.

40-year-old Harold Jones and 49-year-old Barbara Lewis both died from a single gunshot wound at a home on Pine Drive Saturday afternoon.

The GBI says Jones shot Lewis, then shot himself. Investigators also used evidence from the scene to come to the conclusion of a murder/suicide. The GBI says a gun was found next to Jones’ body.

Anyone with information about the case should call the GBI Office in Milledgeville at 478-445-4173.

The post Autopsy results confirm Sparta man killed himself after murdering woman appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – In a battle between two middle Georgia teams, Wilkinson County’s boys beat Hancock Central Thursday in the GHSA Class A Public championship game, 55-42.

In front of a nearly sold out crowd at the Macon Coliseum, the Warriors trailed by one point after the first quarter but took a five-point lead into halftime and didn’t trail again.

It’s Wilkinson County’s eighth basketball title.

Americus-Sumter girls beats Veteran for AAAA title

Americus-Sumter never trailed in its game against Veterans, beating the Warhawks 56-38 for the AAAA title.

The Lady Panthers jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and led 32-17 at halftime.

The post Wilkinson County boys win A Public title, Veterans girls fall in AAAA final appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

SPARTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Deputies with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office are looking for a missing man.

According to a news release, 25-year-old Ajani Toure Michaels was last seen Sunday, May 15. Michaels moved to an unknown address in Bibb County. He may be driving a white 2016 Hyundai Elantra, tag number PYU1634.

If you know anything call Investigator Ricky Brown at 706-444-1213 or 706-433-1265.

The post Hancock County authorities search for missing man appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Most of Friday’s high school football games are still on for now, but we do have a few cancellations and postponements to let you know about.

Dublin’s game at Wilkinson County has been rescheduled to Saturday at 7 p.m. Macon County will now visit Irwin County on Monday at 4 p.m.

East Laurens will visit Montgomery County at noon on Saturday.

In the GISA, Westfield’s game against Bulloch (in Statesboro) has been canceled with no plans to reschedule. Trinity-Dublin at First Presbyterian Christian Academy (Hinesville) has also been canceled.

Around 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Bibb County Schools posted a Tweet saying its games will be played Friday, unless the forecast changes.

“At this time, there are no plans to close school Friday or reschedule football games,” the Tweet read. “We’ll notify by phone/social media if anything changes.”

Bleckley County Schools posted a similar Tweet around 3 p.m.

“Both school and football are still on for tomorrow,” it read. “Nat’l Weather Svc in Peachtree City predicts <2″ rain by noon tomorrow. Next update 7 p.m.”

Stay tuned to 41NBC’s school closings postings and keep an eye on the weather with updates from the 41FirstAlert Weather team.

Week 3 of The End Zone airs Friday on 41NBC at 11:15 p.m. Join Bill Shanks and Tucker Sargent for high school football highlights from around Middle Georgia, including our Game of the Week: Eagle’s Landing at Houston County at the brand new Freedom Field.

The post High school football games affected by Hermine appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Georgia has a bit of a pest problem. The emerald ash borer was first spotted in northern Georgia in 2013.

“Beetles feed on ash trees and the ‘grub’ live underneath the bark, so we aren’t usually able to see them,” said GCSU professor Nathan Lord.

Ash trees are a popular hardwood used to make items from furniture to Louisville Slugger baseball bats.

“Ash is a very important hardwood for commercial products,” said Lord.

Research student Payton Burris added, “Drums, guitars, like all those, they use ash to build those type things.”

Now the bug has moved further south, just miles away from forests in Monroe, Putnam, Hancock, Bibb, Jones and Baldwin counties.

“When people move firewood or lumber, often times, we are inadvertently moving these beetles farther than they’d be able to go on their own just by flying.”

Burris says once a tree is infested, there’s not much you can do. Now, the small jewel bugs may be giving lumberers in the state a big problem.

“I think it could impact the lumber industry in a sense that there’s now one less tree to use for making a lot of these products that are made out of ash,” Lord said. “It’s definitely cutting into the ability to use that particular genus of tree for their products,” he continued.

But how can a bug no larger than a grain of rice be responsible for destroying millions of trees? Lord says the lack of natural predators here in Georgia are to blame.

“The reason that these emerald ash borers are doing so well in the United States, is because the ash trees are a different species than their natural habitat.”

But Lord says their working on a plan to regulate the bug’s rapid population growth and hopefully save ash trees in Georgia–using another type of insect.

“There’s actually a special species of wasps that naturally target emerald ash borers for food,” he added.

Burris is one of the research students designated to be “wasp watchers”. She says by releasing the wasps in large numbers, they hope nature will take its course and drastically slow down the spread of these beetles.

The emerald ash borer has been spotted in 30 states across the nation since its discovery in Detroit in 2002. Lord says if the bugs continue to multiply at this rate, the ash species of trees in Georgia will very soon die out.

The post GCSU leading research in Georgia’s growing pest problem appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

SPARTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The state board of education has scheduled a suspension hearing for the Hancock County Board of Education on May 4th.

The hearing will determine if the board will recommend the removal of the board of education to the governor.

the state board sent 41NBC a summary of the district’s progress on eight priorities from October 2015 to September of 2016.

The accreditation company AdvancED made its assessment and found eight ways the district needed to improve.

Of the eight, the district met three adequately and only partially met two.

AdvancED deemed the remaining three as not met.

However, Superintendent Dr. Charles Culver responded to the report, says “…The Hancock County School District has implemented remarkable and positive changes in its governance structure with an updated and publicly available policy manual, a set of guidelines for board members and the superintendent to work more effectively together,  a new strategic plan, meetings which run more smoothly and avoid the appearance of dissension and chaos…”

The hearing will be Thursday, May 4th.

The post Hancock County Board of Education faces suspension hearing appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

SPARTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A man is dead after his mobile home caught fire in Hancock County Sunday.

21-year-old Natavious Watson was killed in the blaze, which completely destroyed the home at 2120 Hay Barn Lane in Sparta.

State fire investigators say the fire started around 5:30 a.m. by accident in the kitchen. The home did not have a working smoke alarm.

The post Sparta man killed in mobile home fire appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

SPARTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)  – You can’t spell SpARTa without the word ‘art’. That’s why local artists say they want to change the perception of Sparta, Georgia and do it in a way that’s never been done before.

“I’ve been painting since I was about two or three,” said local artist Brittany Morrison.

She says for her, art imitates life.

“I’m really about nature so everything I do has something to do with outside.”

So Sparta–a small town known as the Hidden Jewel of Georgia–was the perfect canvas.

“Moving to the country is how I’ve been able to paint a lot more, because I can see birds and trees and sunsets, so I have lots of inspiration,” she added.

But the peaceful countryside isn’t the only thing hidden in Sparta.

“We feel like there is undiscovered talent here, people simply express themselves in all of these very creative and artistic ways,” said festival organizer Jeanette Waddell

Waddell says she’s been painting this picture in her mind for nearly a decade.

“So here we are today with nearly 30 artists, most from Hancock County, who will share their talents with not only Hancock County community but people all over Georgia.”

It’s been a lot on her palette, but she hopes it’ll create economic opportunity in the small town.

“We want our economy to be self sustaining, we want to see local people as entrepreneurs. Georgia is number two or three in the creative economy and we want to share in that,” she said.

With a few dabs of a brush stroke, ‘There’s Art in Sparta’ will highlight the town’s undiscovered talent.

Organizers say they’re expecting a pretty big turn out of at least 1,000 people to come and enjoy the exhibition. They’ll have several different art forms displayed.

The post Sparta to highlight town’s hidden talent in first ever art festival appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.

HANCOCK COUNTY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Hancock county schools is now ‘overall improving’ after nearly 3 year ‘under review’ by AdvancEd.

Superintendent Dr. Charles R. Culver was notified earlier this month by the accreditation org that they ‘made the grade’ meeting 3 of the 5 improvement priorities they were given.

The school district’s troubles maintaining accreditation stem all the way back to 2015.

Some of the improvement priorities involve documentation, updating district policies and board policies. The last two improvement priorities will be judged during the upcoming school year.

The post Hancock County Schools to keep accreditation after AdvancED review appeared first on 41NBC News | WMGT-DT.