GEORGIA NEWS BRIEFLY: Two Tifton residents killed in Alabama traffic wreck

Two from Tifton killed in wreck

COLUMBUS (TNS) — A two-vehicle crash Saturday has claimed five lives.

According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the collision occurred at 6:43 p.m. on U.S. 80 at the 185 mile marker near Macon County 24.

A Ford Edge collided with a Mazda Tribute causing the Ford to catch fire and the Mazda to leave the road and overturn.

Curtis Jay McCurdy, 31, of Opelika, Ala., the driver of the Mazda, was killed.

Two passengers in the Mazda, both residents of Tuskegee, Ala., also died. They are 26-year-old Kyla Yarbrough and 36-year-old Michele Smith.

Two passengers in the Ford were killed.

They are 25-year-old Luciano Tovar of Tifton, Ga. and 29-year-old Jorge Banda of Tifton, Ga.

The lone survivor is 21-year-old Leuis Duque of Moultrie, Ga. who was driving the Ford. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Brunswick man’s body found in river

BRUNSWICK (TNS) — The body of 39-year-old Michael Shreve was retrieved Saturday morning from the Altamaha River, ending an extensive search for the Brunswick man who was last seen Wednesday afternoon swimming out into the water to rescue a dog, said Glynn County deputy coroner Joe Chapman. A State Department of Natural Resources search boat found Shreve ‘s body at about 10 a.m., downriver from Altamaha Park off of U.S. 341 where he first went into the river, Chapman said.

The river was running 11 feet above average for this time of year, which created strong currents and prompted officials Friday to expand its search farther down river, said Sgt. Mark Carson of the state Department of Natural Resources’ law enforcement division.

Witnesses said Shreve went into the river to retrieve a dog that was struggling in the water at about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. He reached the dog, but began struggling and had to let it go, Carson said. It appears the dog drowned, Carson said. The dog did not belong to Shreve, Carson said.

“If you go into the water to try to rescue someone or something, please wear a life jacket,” Carson said.

Augusta struggles with drone issue

AUGUSTA (TNS) — To ban or not to ban? Augusta officials have had almost a year to decide how much to restrict drones in public skies and over crowds since implementing a ban limited to the period around the 2015 Masters Tournament.

Now, with days separating a final Augusta Commission meeting and the convergence of tens of thousands on the city for this years Masters beginning April 4, they still haven’t made a decision, and it’s looking less likely they will.

“I’m going to recommend we do what we did last year,” said Augusta Commissioner Bill Lockett, chairman of a subcommittee he’d hoped would dispose of the issue at a Monday meeting. “It’s a good possibility we can’t tweak (the ordinance) sufficiently to please everybody.”

Lockett said he suspected a countywide ban on drones over populated areas which appeared, unannounced, at a Feb. 23 commission meeting was a stealth effort to push through a ban without input from the public and area industries.

Since the commission approved a first reading of the ban — limited to areas where 100 or more are gathered — area hobbyists and some small businessmen have both expressed concerns.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, which urged the city law department to draft the countywide ban, hasn’t changed its position. Sheriff’s Capt. Scott Gay said the office wants a year-round ban on drones over populated areas, to protect the public from misuse of the second-most popular holiday gift given nationwide last year.