Compiled by Hallie G. Turner
Michael Doti began Wednesday’s show concerning a breaking news story on President Joe Biden’s discussion with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos regarding foreign affairs.
Doti reported that Biden is skeptical about living up to Trump’s deal with the Taliban to remove US troops in Afghanistan by May 1. He blamed Trump in his efforts to provide a smooth transition in plans with Afghanistan. Biden also said he has a plan for Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Biden said to Stephanopoulos, “He will pay a price.”
This comes off the heels of finding out that Russia tampered with the US election. Biden also called Putin a killer, due in part to his role in murdering his opposition leader Aleksei Nalvalny. It is unclear how these plans will play out.
Connor Hendricks had the latest on state news where a suspect was captured in a shooting that shook the metro Atlanta area on Tuesday.
Hendricks reported that 21-year-old Robert Long was spotted on I-75 in Crisp County in South Georgia. Georgia State Patrol officers performed a pit maneuver and took the suspect into custody without incident. Six of the eight people shot were of Asian descent and the South Korean Consulate in Atlanta says four of the victims were Korean.
Authorities say it’s too early to determine whether or not it was racially motivated. The Cherokee County Sheriff says the suspect told investigators he had issues with sexual addiction and wanted to “eliminate temptation.”
Hallie Turner then gave an update on local crime in Athens where two Atlanta men were held at gunpoint Tuesday while the armed man halted their attempt to repossess a car in Athens.
Turner reported that the situation occurred at 1:30 a.m. in the parking lot of the Howard Johnson motel on the Atlanta Highway. According to The Athens Banner Herald a 36-year-old man from Duluth, Georgia came across a 2016 Volkswagen Jetta that was on his repo list. While organizing where the tow truck should come 26-year-old Kevonte Bugg of Athens submerged out of a motel room with “strong language.”
After Bugg held the two workers at gun point he drove off with his car but did not make it far until he was pulled over and arrested. In his car police found a Glock 45 9mm handgun, 63 rounds of ammunition, substances in which tested positive for cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, digital scales and four cell phones.
Bugg was charged with possession of a firearm during a felony, two counts of possessing controlled drugs and two counts of aggravated assault.
Thomas Ehlers reported that a New York District Attorney moved to throw out around 700 counts of prostitution. ABC News reports Queens, New York DA Melinda Katz made plans to throw out a collection of outstanding warrants consisting of prostitution, loitering with intent, and related charges.
It was said that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio echoed support for decriminalization. ABC reports that a loitering with intent to prostitute law was repealed earlier this year. Katz, Mayor de Blasio and other city leaders will focus on providing other options to help those in need.
Doti circled back to give a story where the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Savannah was cancelled for the second year in a row due to the coronavirus.
The committee has turned to new ways to raise money for the parade during the pandemic, including selling magazines, Yeti cups and St. Patrick’s Day Parade themed face masks. The city hopes to be up and running next year for the parade and it will still be celebrated virtually at the Irish Embassy in Washington DC, during its virtual reception.
Hallie Turner gave the latest in entertainment with the saga that ended in flames for The Bachelor, Matt James.
Turner reported that during the final episode, viewers saw Rachael Kirkconnell receive the rose, only to learn in the after show that he had ended their relationship. The breakup was due to images surfacing from an antebellum-themed party Kirkconnell attended in college. That mixed with her lack of understanding why it upset him caused the ultimate turmoil that ended the relationship.
Kirkconnell has since made a post on her social media to let viewers and James know just how sorry she was and that he was the “love of her life.”
Up next Conner Hendricks gave the latest on a Japanese court ruling that same sex marriage should be allowed. This would be the first time that a Japanese court has ruled that same sex marriage is allowed under the law.
The court ruled that sexual orientation, similar to race and gender, is not a preference, therefore same sex couples are entitled to benefits that heterosexual couples are entitled to. While same sex marriage is still prohibited in Japan, activists say it is a good first step.
Michael Doti came back again where he delivered a story involving election fraud for a high school homecoming. Election fraud has been the bane of a mother and daughter’s road to victory in Pensacola, Florida. 50-year-old Laura Rose Caroll and her 17-year-old daughter Emily Rose Grover were arrested yesterday for rigging Emily’s homecoming election.
The two allegedly hacked into hundreds of students’ accounts to vote Emily as the Tate High School homecoming queen last fall. They have each been charged with computer fraud, unlawful use of a two-way communications device, criminal use of personally identifiable information and conspiracy to commit these offenses.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Caroll had access to the school’s focus programs, which are the main systems of information in the district, since she was the principal at Bellview Elementary School. Investigators ended up finding almost 120 votes from the same exact IP address in a short period of time, as well as almost 250 votes linked to Caroll’s home address. She is currently in Escambia County jail with an $8,500 bond, while her daughter is in the Escambia Regional Juvenile Detention Center.
Yara Manasrah gave the last bit on international update of the discovery of Dead Sea Scrolls. Israeli archeologists have discovered numerous fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls that show a biblical text previously hidden for about 1,900 years.
The Associated Press reported that the artifacts were found over the duration of an operation in the occupied West Bank; however, since international law prohibits the removal of cultural property from occupied territory, the legality of this operation remains questionable.
National Public Radio described how one particular fragment proves crucial to the interpretation of biblical text; the fragment in question contains text from Zechariah 8:15, which states “Speak truth, each man to his neighbor, and render truth and justice in your gates.” However, the fragment has a different ending, with it saying “…justice in your streets.”
Thomas Ehlers concluded the show with the Sports Power Minute. The NCAA Tournament begins on Thursday, but you still have until Friday at 12:15 p.m. to submit your brackets. The opening First Four game tips off at 5:10 p.m. tomorrow as Texas Southern takes on Mt. Saint Mary’s in a battle for a 16th seed. Friday’s action features 16 games, opening with Virginia Tech vs Florida and ending with Winthrop vs. Villanova. The first round concludes Saturday, with the second round taking place on Sunday and Monday.
The NCAA announced earlier yesterday that all 68 teams passed COVID testing and are eligible for the tournament.
Many NFL teams finalized deals ahead of this afternoon’s salary cap deadline. On Tuesday, Andy Dalton signed a one year, $10 million deal with the Chicago Bears, according to ESPN. The Jaguars picked up both Carlos Hyde and Phillip Dorsett. The Patriots were among the highest spenders, picking up eight players and spending tens of millions of dollars.
The Atlantic Coast Conference announced a football rule change this week. ESPN reports the ACC changed a rule dating back to 1996 that prevented athletes without degrees from transferring within the conference from playing for a year. Now, the intraconference rule is no more.
Finally, the Georgia women’s basketball team looks for a NCAA tournament win on Monday. The third-seeded Bulldogs take on the fourteenth-seeded Drexel Dragons in the first round of the women’s tournament. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2 as Georgia looks to avenge an SEC Championship loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks.